Lifetime
by Alicia Moonstoan
Summary: After watching the human world around him for centuries, Slender still knows nothing about mankind and how we think. That all changes when, on a whim, he saves a girl, Lea, from certain death. With the knowledge she has, Slender might just change, but not if The Organization gets hold of him. Lea, now a Proxy, is plunged into the heart of the supernatural world.
1. Chapter 1: Slender

AN: A story written from Slender Man's point of view. I read up on him, his behaviors, his patterns and his origins. In my finding I came to the conclusion that Slender does indeed exist. If this is the case, (which it might not be) then he attacks like a serial killer, carefully selecting his victims but for no apparent reason. He is one of those monsters who has survived the ages. It was said that in the 1900's, his primary victims were children, and later adults around our time. "It must be terribly lonely" I thought. Then again, Slender is indescribable. Here is a piece from his point of view.

The heartbeat. The beating heart of a human. It is close by. The vibration is tremendous. The sound itself cannot be heard. I cannot hear it.

The thoughts though, I can hear them. The words that I don't understand, don't comprehend. Tantalizing, just beyond my reach. The music and knowledge. Why do these things torture me?

The light. The light burns. I do not know light. What is it? Why can I not experience it? It burns me. The hated light. The light they can hold in their hands. I can feel that too. A light held. It buzzes. Is that what you would call it? This irritating vibration.

Shadowing, following. In the shadows. Avoid the hated light. Beware the hated light. I cannot see it. I cannot see. The vibration. The light gives off a vibration. It burns me. I must follow. The man. He is here. I can hear his thoughts. He stands out.

The existence of his thoughts stands out to me. They drive a hot spike of light into my mind. They are painful. Compared to the other humans, his thoughts are a bullet in my head. They are sharp.

I know sharp. Like the branches on the trees, and the swords that once bit me.

The man. His existence is a constant reminder of my inability to feel. The trance which I live through. The cloud that hangs over my mind. I can feel his mind like a hot beam of light, pointed directly at me. I will break him. Just like all the others.

I can feel him break. He knows I am here, even if he cannot see me. I will break him. Just like all the others. The hot spike in my mind will be taken out. Just like all the others before it. It will be soon.

Already, the sweat is dripping from him, and under his thoughts is a still pool of terror. It is like a reflecting glass. The fear eases my pain. Soon he will be dead.

The night falls. The blesses darkness which closes around me. The man's thoughts are in panic. The terror is cool. It restores my calm. He is running. I cannot run, but I will catch him. I flicker in and out of existence closer, closer, closer. Then I am in front of him.

His mind goes still. I can sense his mind dying. My anger does not rise. Anger is not me. I am nothing. He is falling. Death will take him soon. I reach out, a flicker, and he will vanish, and I will be free again. I flicker, and his blood stains the ground.

At the moment his thoughts cease, I am free again. I am gone. Back to my world of darkness and shadows. The light does not exist here. I can be safe.

I remember before. I was different. The spike of pain came not from these pitiful adults, but from children. They seemed to be made of light. I was tormented by them, but no more. I am free from that.

The children and the adults. They irritate me. My mind can only understand anger. My body can only feel. They are more than me. I cannot understand them.

They hold the light in their hands. For hundreds on their lifetimes. They have held the light. Strangely, it is not their light that bothers me. It is the ones who no longer see that light that I hate. Hatred. I understand hatred. Their hatred is what drives me. Their hatred is light. I am darkness. Only their darkness does not reflect my own. Why can they not stop?

Hatred. Dangerous. I am dangerous. The only sound I can hear is their screams. Their existence is utterly painful.

I am a force. They are nothing. I am anger and hatred. I live nothingness. They can sense me, even when they do not see me. Their minds go fuzzy, just like the lights they hold.

Passiveness. I am nothing. I live through a trance. But so do they. So do the humans. The pain of their existence that wipes away that trance is what drives me. The hatred drives me.

But if I am nothing, how can I feel all this?

For so long, I have been nothing. Now I can feel. The hatred boiling inside me. The anger that threatens to rise up. To them I am a monster. No. They are the monsters. I will show them. I can destroy them.

But the trance holds me. I struggle against my bonds. Silently, in a world of shadows, I struggle. I spent my whole life killing them. They cause me pain. I will eliminate them. Kill them. Bring them down. That is why I exist.

And yet.

Only a few cause me pain. What of the rest? There are so many of them.

And some of them. Their light is different from the others. The darkness inside of them is prominent, yet these few among them shine so brightly. What are they? I want to kill them. My anger begins to rise when I see them.

I cannot kill them. These few sparkle brighter than all the others, but they hold so much more darkness. I want to but I cannot kill them.

They can sense me. Me watching them. They sit with their backs to walls. They sleep little. They are always looking behind them. But for some reason, I cannot kill them. Nothing forbids me but myself. Held in check by something I don't understand. They are untouchable.

Every single one of them is different.

They spark to life and die, again and again. They are sad, angry, and fierce and bright. Then they die. Then they spark again, soft, kind, and dark. What are they?

They fall and rise, again and again.

They talk to me.

They whisper to me. They know I am there. They can feel me. They are not afraid.

I am stretched toward them, and repelled away from them. They are odd.

These children but not children. They are all young, to be sure. But they are old too. Their soul is so old.

I don't know.

I don't know.

I don't know a thing.

I am timeless, ageless. Trapped like this. What am I?

They are all human. All of my prey. They are human. Human…

But those few. They don't feel human. They are different.

Was I like them once?

I should kill them. I must kill them, but I cannot. They resound is a way that is untouchable, unfathomable. Indescribable. Just like me.

They have tried to describe me. I know that. They cannot describe me.

Primitive. Killing. Death. Dangerous. Stalking. Following. What am I?

That are those few?

Why do they shine so brightly, but do not hurt me.

And that one. She glows. She is the brightest of them all. It should be painful to look at her, but it isn't.

She sings. I know she sings. She is full of song, but knows that she is not a musician. She merely loves music.

They all read. Every single one of those strange humans. They all read, but that isn't what is different about them. They have all seen something. They cry at night, but they have no sadness. They don't cry for others, or for themselves. Tears are something I cannot understand. They know something.

What is it they know?

Why can I feel them?

Why is their light different from all the others. They all know something I don't know. I hate them. I want to kill them but they are untouchable.

She sings sometimes. The one that shines brighter than all the rest. She sings, but no one hears the songs. Not even me. And I am always watching.

Her heart is heavy, and yet she sings.

Was I once like them?

I don't know.

Was I once human?

What happened to me?

Her songs are unheard. I am unheard. The words I don't understand, but resound within me. And the sharp light that burns me. What is it?

Can they hear me? Those few? They hear something. The spark inside of them bursts to life and I watch it die again and again, only to burst to life once more.

From my world of shadows that I peer at them from.

And the song she sings sometimes cuts me deep, even though the words are lost to me. I can understand sometimes. She sings of pain and heartache. I have no heart.

I don't know,

I don't know,

No, I don't know a thing.

I must have been human once. I lost everything. It was so long ago. The six trillion years that past in a moment. That I lived for so long is this trance, and killed those who disturbed me. I was saved once, but I killed that person to. I know nothing. I am nothing.

They call me a killer, they call me evil. That is what I am.

But those few, they look at me and feel fear, yes. But they also see there must be a reason. And that one, that girl, reaches out to me with her mind. As if to say that she understands.


	2. Chapter 2: Lea

Chapter 2

Lea

My name, you want to know my name? It's Lea, thanks for asking.

I'm guessing you don't want to hear my back-story or about my child hood. You're here about HIM. Or maybe you're just here for a good story.

Either way, he's the most interesting thing I could tell you about.

He's different, you know, not like others. He's always there, even when he's not. When he is here, I'm not afraid of anything. When he isn't here, I'm afraid of him. I wonder if he knows. I bet he does. I think he's lonely.

I hope he can hear me, somewhere out there. I miss him.

I've always felt his eyes on me, always there, always watching. Always on me as I went humming through my day. They were something I couldn't escape, and when they did disappear, I grew so nervous I didn't venture outside of home and school. I knew he was doing…something, though I didn't know what. Something dark. Something he shouldn't do.

They were always there. They were what I prayed to when I was sad or lonely or angry or scared. I feared those eyes. I sat with my back to walls. I laid awake at night staring hard into shadows.

Sometimes though, sometimes I could feel their sadness. I knew that he was sad. Why? He doesn't seem like he would ever need to be sad. He seemed, unfeeling. His voice silenced by the rolling of time. Unable to speak.

Sometimes I spoke for him. I sang my songs for him. The words that I myself didn't quite understand and that he couldn't have understood. He was with me every moment. I knew he was there. I knew.

But I didn't know what to call him.

He was… Unreachable. I can't reach him. He can't reach me.

Sometimes though, I could feel his mind. He would stretch towards me and pull back at the same time. Attracted and repelled. I would stand perfectly still, not daring even to breath.

And sometimes he would rage in anger. His hatred would consume him for a short time, and I would huddle down. Trying to hide.

So we were.

I was just a "normal" teenager. As normal as you can get with straight A's, a love for books, and invisible eyes always on you. I had friends, I had enemies, I wanted a boyfriend. I had all but forgotten HIM. His gaze had been turned away for a long time.

You don't want to hear about my parents of how I got into this situation. I don't really know myself. I'm just going to jump right in.


	3. Chapter 3: Lea

AN: At this point my curiosity in Slender has escalated past interest and evolved into obsession. I think I'm going insane, somebody help me!

Oh and btw, chapter 5 is going to have a warning label on it. Not for any SlenderXLea. It's…. You don't really need to know.

Chapter 3: Lea

It was one of those things that happen lightning fast.

"Hey, Lea,"

"Ya Max?"

"Wanna go to the movies tomorrow?"

"Sure, what time?"

"Six?"

"I'll be there."

"Cool."

Max had dark hair and eyes and olive skin. I thought he was cute.

We were going to the movies together.

The movie theater is in the dark part of town. A shady place with few streetlamps and fewer people, but the cinema still drew a fair-sized crowd Friday nights.

Max and I joined the crowds and grabbed our seats.

The movie was… alright. A sci-fi/ drama, which is something that you don't come across often. Not really my style, but pretty good.

Max and I were walking towards the residential are when it happened. We were walking slowly, not too excited to get back home. Making small talk.

I was laughing at something he'd said, I don't remember what, when I felt it.

I relaxed slightly. The eyes were gone, somewhere else for the moment. For once, I was glad they were.

Here, let's go this way," Max grabbed my hand.

I felt a tiny prick on my fingertip as we turned into a dark alley.

Max pulled me through the maze of passageways. I lost all sense of direction, but he seemed to know exactly where we were.

My legs felt heavy. They were collapsing beneath me when we finally stopped. I sank to the ground, by body sluggish and numb.

"Are you okay?" Max crouched in front of me.

"No," I said, "How long before it wears off?"

"What?" He blinked at me.

With the last of my strength, I reached out and grabbed his wrist, flipping his hand around. The tiny needle still dripped with poison.

"How long?" I asked again.

He smiled, a snake's smile, "At this rate, we'll never get started."

Shit. Shitshitshit.

AN, again: You see why it needs a warning label now?


	4. Chapter 4: Slender

Chapter 4: Slender

The blood stains the ground. The light is extinguished. The ritual is complete.

My shadow world is dark again. I can rest now.

They're out there. They're still there. The ones who shine but don't hurt.

The boy smiles and his pen moves faster.

The girl relaxes, her voice sings louder.

My presence should scare them. I know this. The knowledge shames me.

But somehow they aren't afraid of me. I'm… I don't know, the ways of human words are unfamiliar to me. I guess you could say I'm grateful. Yes, that's the word, I'm grateful.

For the moment I am content.

Then I notice.

Where is she? Where is she? She's my favorite, where is she?

My vision flickers faster. Flashing over her house, not there. Over her town. Where is she?

The boy drops his pencil.

The girl's voice halts mid-note.

They cry out in horror. I am ashamed of how I scared them now. But I was rushed, I had to find her.

There she was, finally. I relaxed for a moment, only to stiffen up again. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong.

She was half dead. My favorite human was half dead.

All around the world they fell to the ground, trembling. They threw their arms over their heads. Trying to protect themselves. Friends, family, lovers, strangers shouting, asking what was wrong. Why were they falling all over themselves for no reason.

I screamed. She was half-dead. She was half-dead. Don't touch her. Don't touch her. Don't touch her.

DON'T TOUCH HER!

The barriers explode. They fall away as if they never existed. I am free. I rage up.

Anger is a new flavor for me. It's bitter.

But fear is much worse. Fear is maddening, unbearable, awful.

**DON'T TOUCH HER!**


	5. Chapter 5: Lea

Here's your Warning: If you're under the age of 14,DON'T READ THIS. It you'd rather not be scarred for life, DON'T READ THIS. If you're that one asshole from my school who makes fun of my writing; READ THIS AND BURN!

Chapter 5: Lea

It would have been better if the drug had made me pass out. At lease then I wouldn't have felt anything.

As it was, I was seriously freaking out.

All I could think was that my phone was in my pocket. I had to reach it. But I could barely raise a finger at the moment.

And Max was right in front of me.

This was bad.

I tried to move. My body was leaden. Not so much as a fingertip twitched.

Max laughed, "You'll be like this for a couple more hours."

He pushed me. My body unable to resist, I fell backwards and lay sprawled on the ground.

My breath was coming slowly, barely able to breath, but my heart was pounding. The scene was swimming before my eyes from lack of oxygen.

My hand was next to my pocket. It took all of my will to move my fingers those two centimeters.

My phone fell to the ground. The display flickered on under my heavy fingers.

My brain buzzed with desperation. Come on. Come on…

Max was fiddling with something. I hoped it wasn't his zipper.

My hand couldn't reach the keyboard.

I was on the verge of unconsciousness.

A hand reached into my field of vision and plucked the phone off the ground. "Let's just put this over here," Max leaned the device up against a trashcan. I could see the screen.

I closed my eyes. I was done for.

Max touched me and my eyes flew open. He was leaning over me, his hand on my stomach.

No god, please no.

"Come on, it won't hurt too much," He smiles down at me. I try to talk, but my mouth won't move. I try to throw him off but my body won't respond.

I'm trapped in a fate worse than death. No, no, no, no, no, no, no.

I feel his hands on my waist, my breasts, my thighs. The sensations are numbed, but still there. I rebel against them.

I look at my phone as his hands brush up against my skirt.

My one chance is right there. So close I could have reached out and touched it, but no. I was going to be raped then killed. Max was too smart to let me live. I would be dead.

I was going to die. The thought has never scared me. But the thought of being raped did. I was going to be raped.

A single tear distorted my vision.

My phone began to vibrate and spark. The screen went cloudy with interference. The few streetlamps went out. TV's in nearby apartments lost their connection.

"What the…" Max trailed off. He was looking around in bewilderment.

I was suddenly terrified. Something was wrong. Something was coming.

My heart beat even faster and my breath came in sharp gasps. Adrenaline chased the drug from my system, giving me the strength, at least for a little while, to move and speak. Feeling flooded back into my extremities.

I desperately shoved myself away from Max, still clumsy and uncoordinated. I reached out towards my phone, I didn't know what else to do.

My hand closed around it, sparks jumping from its circuits.

Max grabbed my arm, pulling me back towards him.

I didn't resist. A drug of a much stronger variety had just taken hold of me.

"They're here," I whispered. Blind panic threatening to overwhelm me as I spoke.

"Who's here?" Max asked, then he sneered, "no one's going to save you."

He leaned down close to me, puckering his lips to kiss me.

I would have closed my eyes, but the ability seemed to have deserted me. I'm happy I didn't close them.

Because the next second, Max's eyes widened in horror, he was lifted off his feet, hands clawing at his neck. A black tentacle snaked around it.

He tried to draw breath to scream, and then coughed up blood instead as his chest was pierced from the back.

I could see his beating heart, a perfect dime-sized hole drilled through the center of it. The heart beat twice more, and was still.

The tentacles didn't stop there though. The one around his neck snapped his spine, ten continued to squeeze until his neck was shrunken and withered. The tentacle that had speared his chest found his heart and ripped it from his body.

Then they threw Max's body skyward, my eyes followed it. Then, fifty feet up, they appeared beside him and threw him towards the ground.

He landed in the next street over. I heard the impact.

I was staring upwards. My back facing, but not touching, the wall. Staring at the figure hovering in the sky.

It was seven or more feet tall, clad in a black suit with a red tie. It's arms draped to its knees. It's head was bald and white. I don't know how to describe the color. The head turned slightly, and I saw the creature had no face, no eyes, its head was totally blank.

Then the mental wave hit me. I don't know why I couldn't feel it before then. The eyes were back, the eyes were furious. They were in a killing mood.

And they were scared.

I was scared too. Scared of that figure in the sky. Scared of the eyes. Scared for the eyes. The figure didn't move. I stared up at it, I saw it. It was standing still. It didn't so much as twitch.

But, suddenly, it wasn't there anymore. I blinked, looked around, and physically reeled backwards. I felt my back hit the wall.

There is was, not ten feet away. Standing, feet spread slightly apart, arms held slightly away from its body. It's the pose of a hunting animal, ready to spring.

I'm paralyzed. Sensing, more than anything, its eyes on me. THE eyes on me. They are wary, watching, but not angry, not anymore. They seem more relieved than anything.

I try to slow my breath, to calm down. Relax.

Then I blink, and the figure is directly in front of me. His face without a face level with mine.

It was strange, now that I think about it. Seeing that huge figure like that, his arms resting on his knees, crouching not three feet away.

The sudden movement scared me though, and I shouted as I flung myself backwards.

The reaction was immediate. The figure flinched back, disappearing for a moment, then appeared again.

The eyes recoiled too, then focused again. The duel feelings of sadness and shame emanated from them.

I pressed myself against the wall as if I could dissolve into it.

He, for I decided it must be male, moved his head as if to look at me.

I dared not move.

Then he, I don't know how else to describe it, flickered. Suddenly, his arm was beside my neck.

I didn't flinch because I didn't have time to. It was too fast. I was sure his arm was about to sweep up and separate my head from my neck, but it didn't. It remained motionless, perfectly still, just like the rest of the figure. I didn't even twitch. The returning effects of the drug making it easy.

We must have stayed that way for five of more minutes. He never moved so much as a millimeter. I was beginning to get restless.

I thought for a long time before moving, but I did eventually. Slowly, so that it seemed to take a lifetime, I lifted my arm.

He didn't move, but it was as if he was following my hand with his gaze.

_No eyes, always watching. _

The words came to me as I moved. They seemed to describe him perfectly.

The path my hand took was not planned. I simply acted. My fingers passed the figure's chest, its shoulder. I paused for a moment beside his neck. He seemed to grow tense, but relaxed again as my hand continued to move.

My fingers stopped, hovering above his forehead. Pausing mid-air. They remain motionless there. Waiting. For what, I don't know.

AN: It's done! It's midnight! *Falls asleep on keyboard*


	6. Chapter 6: Slender

Chapter 6: Slender

Why?

Why did I do it? The rage consumed me and now the boy lay bloody on the ground.

Don't touch her. Don't touch her. Don't touch her.

Please be okay. Don't die. Oh please, don't die.

Relief had spread through me when I had seen her. She was alive. She was okay.

She was afraid.

She was afraid of me.

I felt… sadness… shame. Don't be afraid. Don't be afraid of me. I won't hurt you.

I jumped down. She seemed shocked. She threw herself backwards, making a sound a couldn't hear.

I marveled for a moment that I could see her so clearly. In a world of gray blurs she somehow stood out in full color.

I moved again, crouching before her. She leaped back again, falling to the ground, legs turned at the knees, heels pointing outwards. (AN: Classic anime-girl pose. Look it up.)

I sat for a while not moving. Watching her. Thinking. The feeling of shame bitter to me.

Don't be scared. I won't hurt you.

I moved to touch her.

I… _Flickered_. I reached my hand toward her.

Then I remembered all their blood. The blood of all the people I killed staining me. I remembered how easily my hand sliced through flesh.

And I stopped.

Not two inches from her neck, I stopped.

She didn't move a muscle. Her bright eyes might have flicked downward for a moment, but other than that she showed no sign of even noticing.

We stayed like that for a while. She sitting prone on the ground, her skirt hiking up a little. I standing over her. Looking at her sharp focus in a world of blurs.

Finally, she began to move. Her arm reached towards me. It traveled past my chest, my shoulder. I tensed when her fingers reached my neck, sure she was about to slash me, but they continued. Past my neck, past my face. They stopped, hovering in front of my forehead.

Neither off us moved.

AN: As I'm writing this, I'm attempting to assess the mood and language of the writing. It's practically impossible to do with your own work. I need a little help on this one. Review please.


	7. Chapter 7: Lea

Chapter 7: Lea

Was this seriously happening? This was insane. I couldn't believe it.

Now that I had stopped tripping out, I was questioning the whole situation. Plus, I was starting to think there was a hallucinative affect to that drug. There was absolutely no way I was sitting across from a man with no face, with one of his hands beside my neck and one of my hands hanging in front of his forehead.

It was getting increasingly difficult to keep that hand from falling. Max's drug was reasserting its hold on me. My body was falling limp.

The figure hadn't moved an inch. Only the memory of that lightning fast movement kept me believing it was alive. Still, I felt like a was face-to-face with Frankenstein's monster. Meaning I felt creeped out, but not threatened. More than anything, I was curious. Frankenstein's monster hadn't been evil after all. I had a feeling this figure wasn't either.

My breath was coming in hard gasps. My fingers trembled from the effort of staying aloft.

Suddenly, the drug overwhelmed me, and I slumped forward slightly. My hand dropped. Its fingertips brushed the figure's forehead.

It felt like a lightning bolt had entered my body through my fingertip. I could sense everything about him. Now I knew he was male. At least, he thought of himself as male.

Hundreds of years of memories were suddenly open to me.

I saw a shadowy place, blinding light, and hatred. No other emotions, just hatred of the light. And loneliness. Underlying everything else, overwhelming loneliness.

Red blood staining everything. The light going out. Bright stars that somehow don't hurt to look at, even though they're brighter than the light.

A little Chinese boy bent over a paper.

An African girl singing in a chorus.

Me, humming as I did my homework.

Something so unfocused I couldn't see or feel anything clearly.

Then, recently, an immense explosion of anger. Anger and fear. Then blood, blood staining him. Color, in a world of grays.

It's a small amount of knowledge for a lifespan of hundreds of years, but the sheer volume knocks me back.

I feel my eyes un-focus, darkness chews at the edges of my vision. The drug multiplying the effects of the mental shock.

Before I pass out, I hear a voice in my head, crackly with interference;

"Your…name….is….Lea?" He asks, his voice slow and shaky, as if from disuse.

Too disoriented for words, and not completely sure what's going on, I can only manage to send back a agreeing/pleased feeling that wells up almost of its own accord. And then everything goes black.


	8. Chapter 8: Slender

Chapter 8: Slender

She's having trouble breathing. Her fingers are trembling. Something's wrong with her.

Her hand falls suddenly and her fingers brush my forehead.

Something happens. My head is flooded with information. Colors, numbers, emotion, words, they're all open to me through her. My brain fills up. Mental shock ensues after the influx. I can't move for a few moments, than my mind reorganizes, stuffing all the new material into a folder for later use.

She's flickering. She's falling away from consciousness. (AN: I know that's an awkward sentence. I'm trying to figure out how Slender would think of passing out)

Now that I know what to look for, I can see the red dot where the needle pierced her finger.

Anger swells in me again, then dies. I don't need to kill the same person twice.

I need to get her help. Wait… can she hear me? I take a look at her memories.

"Your…name…is…Lea?" I ask, the words foreign, yet familiar.

She doesn't reply in words, but an approving feeling comes from her mind. Her thoughts go black. She can hear me. Good.

Hold on. Let's see… I need to get her to help.

Lea's memories are coming in handy now.

I gather all my strength and pick her up. She doesn't move. She's not even that heavy. A hospital. The nearest one is twenty minutes away by the human's cars.

A few seconds for me.

I blink out of existence, taking care to keep Lea intact. Then we're outside of the hospital. I set Lea on the ground.

In a few moments, I have a pencil and paper.

Now what? I have to write. I examine one of my hands, wiggling the fingers, I'll make do. The pencil is clumsy in my hand as I carefully write a note, placing it in Lea's hand.

Then I move to the hospital door, banging on it. Not too hard. I don't want to break the glass.

Almost at once, I hear the sound of feet approaching.

I disappear.

A burse opens the door and immediately spots Lea. She runs over, checking the girl's pulse and temperature.

Then she sees the note. She reads it. Her face loses its color. She rushes inside.

Two other people emerge, they strap Lea onto a trolley and take her inside.

I retreat to my dark world. Nothing can hurt me here.

My personality feels shattered. My entire being is broken.

I don't know who I am anymore.

AN: Hey guys! First of all, thanks, it means a lot to me to have so many views on my story, and the reviews are great too! I'm sorry to say I am going backpacking next Monday, so I won't be able to post any chapters that week. Yes, believe it or not there is more to come.

This is a long AN, so bear with me.

I stumbled across the existence of Proxies the other day. Saved! I really wanted to continue the story, but I was against shipping LeaXSlender. You can read up about Proxies on the Slender wiki page if you want more information.

Also, If I seem waaay into this story, I believe what I have to believe to make my stories interesting. Thus, I believe in Slender. Deal with it.

That said, I'll remind any and every one that the more you know about Slender, the more likely he is to kill you. Heads up.

I'm dead if he even looks this way. I know way too much.

I'll keep posting until Monday, and I'm taking my sloppy copy notebook on the trip with me, so there will be more chapters when I get back. Hopefully. I need to get writing.

See everyone later!

-Alicia


	9. Chapter 9: Lea

Chapter 9: Lea

I sit bolt upright, my eyes flying open. For a moment I'm terrified, then I register my surroundings. Sterile-white walls. Various beeping machines, I note some wires attached to me. A window looking over a cityscape. I'm in a hospital.

I flop back down. How did I get here? The last thing I remember is passing out in the alley. That figure had been there.

Could it be? The possibility sent my mind reeling.

And that creature...was it the same as The Eyes. The eyes that always watched. The sensation was the same.

_No eyes, always watching. _

Sounded about right.

Whatever the thing was, I had its memories. Or, I was supposed to have them. I didn't. Rather, I had the memory of the memories. That's a weird feeling.

Well, I was happy I didn't have them. Not because they were creepy, which they were, but because you really shouldn't know about someone that deeply. It wasn't right.

I closed my eyes, breathing deeply for a few seconds. Enjoying the fact that there were no psychopaths trying to rape me and no monsters standing over me.

It didn't feel quite right to call him a monster somehow.

I cover my eyes with my hand, trying to beat down the ache inside me. Emotional pain is almost worse than the physical kind.

After a few seconds, a sound disturbs me. I hear the door open and immediately sit upright. A startled nurse pushing a trolley full of expensive looking equipment greets my eyes.

She recovers quickly, giving me a winning smile, "Oh good, you're up."

"Morning," I reply weakly.

"Hold on a moment, I'll get the doctor in here." She pulls her trolley out of the room.

I mutter under my breath about the art of conversation and stack my pillows so I can lean against them comfortably.

A few minutes later, a man opens the door. He introduces himself as Dr. Mann, and says he needs to run a few tests.

He checks my eyes, my reflexes, and my heartbeat. He even takes a vial of blood for some other tests. Last, he leaves a plastic cylinder on the bedside table.

"For later," He explains. I'm supposed to fill it up later.

Finally, with the diagnoses that I'm recovering well from both the poison and the shock, he drops the question.

"Lea, what happened?"

I look down.

"We need to know how you got poisoned in the first place."

I took a deep breath. I kicked my brain on. Couldn´t lie. I couldn´t tell the whole truth, not if I didn´t want to end up in an insane asylum. A little of each. I cobbled something together quickly.

"There should have been a boy. Found dead, in an alley." I started.

Dr. Mann furrowed his brow, "Yes, there was one. He was on the news."

"He poisoned me. He…" I broke off, trembling. I'm not acting.

The doctor put a hand on my shoulder, "it's alright. It's over."

I closed my eyes. It's easier to lie that way. " I don't really know what happened. He was shot through the chest. That's all I saw."

As I had hoped, this explanation seemed to satisfy him.

The doctor leaned back, "Ok, I don't need the details. Thanks."

"The police want to see me?"

He grinned , "You guessed it."

I sighed, "Let them in."

The police were just as courteous and polite as Dr. Mann. They asked slightly more specific questions, but I was unwavering in my story.

It's easy when most of the story isn't fabricated.

Every time they approached the subject of Max's death, I would get all shaky and say I had passed out before I really saw anything. All I did see was him get shot through the chest.

They were good about dropping the subject.

They left after half an hour, saying if they found a suspect, they'd be back. I wasn't worried.

At this point, I noticed two things. There was a television in the corner of the room, and there was a folded piece of paper on the table next to me.

I climbed out of bed and hit the power button on the TV. I found a remote resting on shelf and took it back to the bed with me.

I plopped down and flicked through the stations, wishing my hospital gown covered me a little more.

I settled for watching some cartoon I didn't recognize. Then I set the remote aside and reached for the paper. It was folded in half neatly, written on a light blue paper just like the pad I have at home. I was unfolding it when the door opened.

A different nurse poked her head in.

"Hello," I said.

"Good morning." She replied, "I brought you some breakfast."

At the sight of the eggs, toast and juice, my stomach grumbled. "Thank you," I said wholeheartedly. I set the paper aside again.

She noticed the movement. As she set the tray across my legs she commented, "They found that note in your hand, you know."

I looked at her with greater interest, "They did?"

She nodded, "No one saw who left it. All the security cameras malfunctioned. Not a clear moment of footage between nothing there, and you on the ground."

I shook my head, "Weird, thanks for telling me."

"You're welcome." She left the room.

I grabbed the note again, unfolding it. My heart nearly stopped. I blinked hard and took another look, still the same.

First, the paper was from my pad at home. There was the doodle of a cat I had drawn three days ago. How did this piece of paper come to be in my hand when I was left outside a hospital, passed out from being drugged? There was only one answer. I didn't want to think about it at the moment.

What clinched that answer for me were the words scrawled on the paper. Sloppy, running everywhere, traced over and over again, yet clearly legible:

**Poisoned. Need Help.**

That wasn't the problem. It was the flecks of dried blood next to the words. It was the doodle underneath. A man with a blank face and arms that draped to his knees.

AN: This will probably be the last chapter I post for a week. I'll have plenty written up though, and I'll keep posting a chapter a day.


	10. Chapter 10: Slender

Chapter 10: Slender

The knowledge almost burns. It ignites a bright light that somehow doesn't hurt to look at. The words, the knowledge, I can barely stand to think of them.

I don't even look out of my shadow world. The humans don't sense me. The ones-who-shine-but-don't-hurt seal themselves away, hiding from whatever scares them. As if I somehow protect them from that.

I wish they wouldn't, it's not true.

For the first time I notice something. I am not being in their dimension. Far from it. The need to kill is far too real. The desire to kill even more so.

That's ok, I can see now. I can just keep killing the ones who hurt me. The ones that lose the light and exchange it for a dark brilliance. I'll just kill them, like I always have.

The Knowledge has changed me though, I can understand the humans a little better now. Their thoughts make more sense. I can tell why they feel the way they do. Or, at least, I understand a little better.

It's a strange sensation, understanding beings I've regarded as prey for centuries. I try not to think about it negatively, telling myself it's just another weapon I can use against them.

Every time I see one of them out of the corner of my eye though, it just reminds me of how much knowledge and fire resides inside of them. Especially the ones-who-shine-but-don't-hurt. I can almost feel their heat.

And then there are the humans who don't shine, like blotches of pure black among billions of stars. They are the anomalies. They are pitiful. I should put them out of their misery. Maybe I will. That seems like a good idea.

A fire bursts to life. I throw up mental barriers, instinctively blocking out the light. I'll have to extinguish that. I'll start soon.

I'll start now.

I appear not 30 feet away from the little girl. She's playing in a sandbox. A butterfly flutters past her.

I'm watching her thoughts. Without her even realizing it, an image of the butterfly laying crushed on the ground flashes through her mind. The image is accompanied by a flash of light and a burst of pain.

Her gray darkens a shade compared to her surroundings.

She suddenly whips around, staring at me, or rather, the place where I was a moment before. Now I was behind a tree. I was thinking there might be a way to use my new knowledge to end this quickly. Maybe I could…

I started to sing.

"In dem walde steht ein haus,

Guckt ein Reh zum Fenster raus,

Klommt ein Hӓschen angerannt,

Klopfet an die wand:

'Hilfe, Hilfe, große not,

Sonst schießt mich der Jӓger tot!'

'Liebes Hӓschen, komm herein,

Reich mir deine Hand'"

(translation:

In the forest, stands a house

A deer is looking out the window

A rabbit comes running along

And knocks on the wall

"Help, help, I'm in trouble

The hunter wants to shoot me!"

"Dear rabbit, come on it,

And give me your hand")

(AN: I went through quite a bit of trouble to find a song to put in here. I'm sorry if the song meant a lot to you in your childhood or something, but it's all I could find."

The little girl turned her head towards me. I kept on singing as she stood up, moving toward me. Her steps still made her totter back and forth. I asked myself why I felt the need to kill such a young person.

The thought almost caused my song to stutter. I banished it.

The language I was singing in…German. That might be it. I thought so. I had a vague memory of it.

Warmth, a smiling face. Anger, pain.

Now I was using that same song to lure a little girl to her death. I didn't feel a flicker of shame or hesitation.

She looked around the tree I was standing behind. Her eyes grew wide. She stepped out and looked up at me.

I saw her on two levels. As a gray-stained little girl, gazing up at me through wondering eyes, and as a bright , blinding, painful, bloody light.

I kneeled down on her level, moving not through my dimension, but only through hers.

She reached out as if to touch me.

As quick as lightning I speared her in several locations. Her eyes didn't even widen, but she opened her mouth to scream.

I filled it with one of my tentacles. Her heart finally stopped beating when I squeezed it. It popped, exploding inside of her.

I withdrew my tentacles. They were slick with blood.

I hear a voice from the house calling, "Susan? Susan?!"

I make slightly more noise than is necessary as I move backwards into the shadows.

A woman enters the thicket. She sees the little girl, Susan lying on the ground.

"Susan, what are you doing? You know you aren't supposed to leave the yard." She moves closer, "Susan? Susan?! What's wrong?" She kneels beside her daughter. "Susan!" Her voice is desperate. She moves to flip her daughter over, but her hand slips, looking at it, she sees it's stained with blood.

She turns her daughter over. Her eyes register the puncture wounds, the wide eyes, the blood on the girl's lips. She throws her head back and lets out a sound. The word for it is keening. The word doesn't do it justice.

I flicker out of their dimension. The sound disturbs me, but at the same time I feel a pang of satisfaction.

Feeling a little better, I look at the huge array of lights before me.

Oh, Lea's awake. She seems preoccupied with something. I shouldn't bother her, but I can't help watching.


	11. Chapter 11: Lea

AN: Uh… funny story… my notebook got rained on. For two days straight. I couldn't write on my trip. But it survived, and I got two chapters written last night! Oh and, this is a long one.

Chapter 11: Lea

He's back. He went somewhere, but now he's back. To be honest, his presence stabilizes me, even if I can sense the blood on him from this far away.

Whoever's blood it is, I doubt they deserved death. I doubt they were ready for it. But now they're dead, and there wasn't a whole lot I or anyone could do about it.

Not that that was the immediate problem. The immediate problem wasn't even my own health.

The immediate problem was when my mom would decide to stop freaking out.

She's been at it for more than an hour now.

I've never understood the need adults feel to ask again and again if you're alright.

"I'm sitting in a hospital after being poisoned by a psycho rapist and seeing him get killed, do you think I'm fine?!" I finally snapped.

My mother blinked, "well, um…"

"No," I cut her off, "if you thought I was fine, you wouldn't ask so much."

I rolled away from her, closing my eyes. I was pretty tired anyways.

After a couple minutes I dropped off.

I awake to my father shaking my shoulder. We said goodbye and I apologize, blaming my behavior on exhaustion and stress. They leave.

I unmute the television, flicking through the channels. Cartoon network is the most entertaining thing I can find.

I keep fingering the folded note as I watch. I always do something with my hands. Fiddling with a hair-tie, flipping a pencil, fingering a note. I enjoy discovering the ways an object can move. A pencil can swirl around your fingers. A hair-tie can tie in knots or bind your hands together. The note doesn't do much, but it comforts me to be doing something with my hands.

There's a quiet knock on my door. I glance at the clock. 8 o'clock. It's well past visiting hours.

"Come in," I call, stowing the note under my pillows.

Dr. Mann pokes his head through the door, "Lea," he says, "How are you feeling?"

There's that question again. "good," I reply, and gesture towards the table, "your sample is over there."

He picks up the plastic container, placing it in his pocket, "Good, thank you."

"Do you know what the drug was?"

He looks right at me, "We believe is was similar to a date-rape pill, only in liquid form, and it didn't make you completely dead to the world, so less potent."

"Huh," I huff, "How do you think a teenage boy got hold of it?"

"I honestly don't know."

The eyes, him, he's definitely watching me, taking interest. His thoughts are sharper and quicker than I've ever felt them. It's more of a nuisance than anything else. I wish he wouldn't pay such close attention. He has plenty of others to watch.

Until I figure out a way to tell him that, and I probably wouldn't have the guts anyways, I'll just have to deal with it.

Dr. Mann is still hanging around. I stare at him pointedly.

"There are, um, people here to see you," He says.

"I thought visiting hours were over."

"They… have a pass." He explains lamely.

"Did the police find a suspect?"

No, it's…" He looks around warily, "They're from somewhere else."

I start putting up guards, sealing myself off. I feel like I need to be protected. I don't like where this is going…

"Okay… I guess I have to talk to them, I can't decline?"

"No."

I let out a long breath, "Let them in."

Two men enter the room. They are dressed like normal people, but they move with a wariness that makes them look anything but normal.

I wonder what their work is. They would stick out a mile in a crowd.

Maybe that's the point.

Whatever they did, I don't like the look of them. They seem like they know what they're doing. They seem like they do this all the time.

"Hello, Lea," Says the first man, "I'm here to ask you some questions."

"Hi." I reply.

"I am The Inspector, and this is my assistant, James." The second gives a curt nod, but doesn't speak.

"The Inspector, no actual name?" I ask.

He squints at me, "That is my code name. It's what I go by when I am working."

I shrug, "Okay, Mr. Inspector. Ask away."

He sighs and sits in the chair next to my bed. "Lea, we are with The Organization. We-"

"THE Inspector, THE Organization. What's next, THE Asshole?" My natural defense is extreme sarcasm.

"Lea, you don't-"

"I don't understand." I cut him off, "Maybe you're right, but I can guess a lot. You have the ability to come in here past visiting hours, so you need at least as much power as the police, and since you can interrogate me without cause and another adult present, you can get past certain laws and even parts of The Constitution. That leaves three options. One, you are a part of underworld with enough power to blackmail the hospital. Two, You are part of the government with access equal to or higher than the CIA. Or, three, you are with a private organization unknown to the government operating under your own power." I paused to draw breath.

Both men were looking at me, James with a mixture of shock and admiration, and The Inspector with calculating intelligence.

"Also, based on your clothing and equipment, you aren't with the organized crime, otherwise there would be a gun pointed at my head right now, and you aren't with the government, you're too casually dressed. So you're with a private organization. On with enough power, influence and money to gain entry to a private hospital. How did I do?"

"Not too badly." The Inspector says, "It's more than some adults can figure out. We might have recruited you under different circumstances."

"I see."

"As things stand, you may be in serious danger. We are here to help.

"Inspector, less than 24 hours ago, I was drugged and almost raped and killed. I'm in no danger here."

The Inspector leans forward slightly, drumming his fingers on his thigh, "That's where you're wrong, if we are right then your peril is only just beginning. Lea, we need to know what happened. Exactly what happened."

I shrug, "I already told the police. He drugged me, was about to rape me then I saw him get shot through the back. I passed out. That's all I saw."

"I want the truth, Lea."

"That was the truth."

He sighs, "Your story isn't airtight. First, if the bullet passed all the way through him, where's the bullet?"

I countered easily, "You can trace bullets, can't you. The killer probably took it with them, if they had any intelligence."

"Then why aren't you hurt?"

"Can anyone say why crazies kill one person but not another?"

"How did the body end up in the next alley over?"

I open my mouth to reply, then catch myself, "It was?"

"Yes."

"How could you tell it wasn't the same alley?"

"A scrap of cloth from your skirt,"

"Ah. That makes sense."

"Yes it was quite a sight. At least five puncture wounds, strangled to the point of decapitation, and thrown against the ground with such force it almost literally exploded. That, and the heart had been ripped out."

"But what could do all that?"

The Inspector sits back again, "We have a guess, nothing more, but we have a guess."

I tried to pretend my heart hadn't just stopped for about three seconds, and that now it wasn't pounding at the speed of sound, "A guess?"

"We believe the culprit is not, in fact, human, but something else."

I snort, "Ya, right, not possible."

We'll see." The Inspector snaps his fingers briskly and James steps forward.

He takes out a device which resembles a barcode scanned attached to a small screen by a cable. The harmless looking thing somehow terrifies me.

I feel the eyes' attention focus on me. They seem interested, but wary.

"This device," James explains, "Measures a certain byproduct of interaction with this being. The more residue, the more contact. About 75 is normal. 100 s pushing it. anywhere above 200 means you've had close contact. Any number past 400 means currently in contact, but that's unlikely."

I can't respond, not with words, but I act instinctively. I send out, as loud as possible, if the word "loud" can be used to describe thoughts, a panicked warning signal. I act for an unknown reason. I know why I do it, but the reaction is immediate.

The eyes disappear, and I left feeling twice as vulnerable as before, but relieved too, like it would somehow make a difference.

"So," I say, "you're going to scan me, weather I want you to or not, so you can see if this thing killed Max."

"Precisely."

I furrow my eyebrows, "well, I can't stop you since you're doing this under the radar."

I maintain the warning signal, increasing the frequency. The eyes recede. At least they seem to understand.

"That's correct," James steps forward with the device.

He holds the scanner above my hips, and presses a switch. A red light bathes my body.

James slowly pans the light over me, staring intently at the small screen. When the light reaches my neck, he instructs me to close my eyes. With my sight gone, I can almost feel the light traveling across my face.

I hear a beep and open my eyes.

James shuts down the scanner and patiently stares at the screen. After a few moments, the device dings like a microwave.

James studies the results wordlessly, and then turns the device over to The Inspector.

He, in turn, gazes at the screen, then holds it out to me.

I take the device, making a quick study of it.

Rectangular, about half an inch thick and 4 by 5 inches.

There are no buttons, but it's a touch screen.

I take a breath and look at the screen. An outline of my torso and head is displayed on it. The green outline is dotted with points of blue light. They crowd around my head and chest. There are significantly more on my left side as opposed to my right.

The number jumps out at me. Underlined, bold print, oversized, glowing digits.

350.

I register it, force myself to be shocked.

"You see?" The Inspector asks.

"I see. It would explain some things, but I don't believe it. Do you have proof this… THING… really exists?"

"We do." The Inspector stands up, "We can bring it to you tomorrow."

I give his a calculating stare, "Didn't you do a background check before you came here? You should have brought the information with you."

"The boss wouldn't allow it."

"Humph."

"He may be interested in you now, he may allow it."

"Yes, you take your camera and microphone and review the tapes."

The Inspector smiles, even James manages a little grin.

"We'll be in touch." The Inspector touches his forehead in a casual salute.

I nod in return, handing the strange device back to James. He stows it away.

I watch the two men leave.

"Close one," I say aloud, "There was no telling what could have happened."

The TV buzzes and flickers as if in response.

"I'm getting a lot of visitors today." I say.


	12. Chapter 12: Slender

Chapter 12: Slender

Lea turns her head to look at me. She doesn't seem surprised.

"I'm getting a lot of visitors today," She says. I can't hear the words, but she thinks them too.

I can't speak, no really. I can't talk like they do, instead I think. I think the words I want to say. (AN: Handy part of telepathy is that words are not needed to communicate. Just clarifying.)

"Hello," I say.

"So you can talk now?"

"Not precisely."

"Did I do this?" She seems unsure.

"In a way, yes. It is because of you."

She looks down, thinking.

In one motion, I cross the room, drawing the curtain over the window in the door.

Lea looks up, squinting at me, "I see… my memories…"

"Some things are hard to explain with words," I say randomly.

"Yes," She agrees.

"The men?" I… I suppose you could say "walk," to the chair next to her bed.

She doesn't reply with words, but sends me the memories.

"They are… interesting." I don't have a name for this emotion.

"You aren't a little nervous they know about you?" She blinks up at me.

"I can't name all my emotions. I've never had them before."

She doesn't respond. I can tell she somehow she's struggling with an emotion or thought. Finally she says, "All because of one little slip…"

I send a questioning feeling.

The response is in logical order and clearly thought through. The memories of going to the theater, letting her guard down, the needle, Max's death, my own miraculous transformation, the sensation of responsibility.

I can't say anything in response. Instead I just sit there. It's a horribly inadequate response.

Lea sighs, looking the other way. She glances at me and laughs without humor, "Look at me," she chuckles.

"What?"

"I'm sitting in a hospital bed not 24 hours I was almost raped and killed, having a conversation with someone who, according to the laws of nature, should not exist. I just sent the only people who have a clue about you packing. They said I was in danger. Probably because of you, though they didn't say so. Still, I didn't admit to even seeing you." She pauses for breath, I can't move, "Despite all that, and even though you shouldn't exist, and I can practically SEE the blood on you, I can't bring myself to think of you as an enemy."

"When you put it that way…" I don't have a name for this emotion either.

"Sorry," She feels guilty, "I shouldn't have said that. I didn't mean it."

I raise one of my hands, studying the elongated fingers, "You can practically see the blood…"

The crushing weight of guilt and remorse. She communicates instinctively through the emotions how sorry she is. Words can't describe it.

Humans are peculiar beings.

It does help a little though, I feel a little better.

"If I'm not supposed to exist, why can you talk to me?" I ask out of curiousity.

"I don't know. I'm no specialist." She shrugs.

"Humans are strange also, you can't disagree with that."

She smiles, a wave of bitter memories flooding her mind, "You should try being one,"

The sensation of a smile is hard to describe. It is like a cool ray of moonlight, and a cool drop of rain. It is somehow light and immensely heavy. It's a new feeling for me, and even with Lea's memories, I wasn't sure exactly what a smile felt like until this moment. But that sensation of smiling…

That's what I reply with.

It feels good.

Lea gets serious again after a moment, "What should I do about them? Those men?"

I pause, I didn't realize how little I knew about myself. I was me, yet I knew practically nothing. I wanted to know more.

Lea reads my mind, literally. (AN: No regrets for that one) "Maybe, getting that file wouldn't be so bad?"

I think for a moment, "I guess not."

She smiles again, "I'll get some information then."

I nod.

Silence for a moment then, "It might not even really be about you. They might have the wrong person, or they might just be trying to con me."

"I somehow doubt it."

"Same…" She pauses to think, "How did you get me here?"

I furrow my brow, or where my brow would be, if I had one, "I carried you. I'm not intangible, I can if I want to."

"I know that. Just wondering. And… how did you carry me?"

I wave at her with my hands, puzzled.

She sighs, "When they showed me the scan for my body, there was much more… residue… on my left side compared to me right."

I thought I could see where she was going with this, "That was the side facing my body, if that's what you're getting at."

She nods, "The scanner was probably genuine. The readings were concentrated on my forehead and left side. The forehead because of the telepathy, obviously, and the left side because when you carried me here, that side was the closest to your body."

For a moment, I was at a dead loss. The limited knowledge I had gained from Lea was not doing one ounce of good. Then I examine the thought process behind the statement, and everything makes sense.

"Ok, so they probably aren't con men or thinking of the wrong supernatural. That means they're genuine, so we have to watch out."

"Or they might just kill one or both of us."

I'm puzzled by the use of the word "us," but I don't say anything.

The clock on the makes a sound I can't hear.

Lea glances at it, "It's already eleven. I need to get to sleep."

I stand up.

Lea grins.

"What?" I ask.

"Nothing." She suppresses a thought.

I have a feeling I would be squinting if I had eyes, "Ok then, goodnight."

"Wait, do you have a name?"

The question takes me off guard, "A name? I don't know…"

She looks up at me, "Maybe you could name yourself. It only seems fair."

It seems appropriate, "I'll try to think of something."

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Lea"

She rolls over, settling under the hospital covers.

I watch her for a moment, then reach out my hand and flip the stray corner of a blanket into place.

Then I'm gone.

AN: …Did I seriously just write that?...


	13. Chapter 13: Lea

Chapter 13: Lea

I wake up to the sound of screaming.

I leap out of bed, throwing myself into the corner of the room.

Looking around the room, I realize there's no one else present.

The TV is turned on. An animated show flickers on the screen. An orange-haired boy shouts, running at a white-faced monster. He cuts it clean in half, the monster dissolves.

It takes me a moment to register I know the show. I watched the subtitled version, with the original Japanese soundtrack. The English voices and horrible lip-synching hurt to watch. I shut off the TV.

I used to wish that something similar to that show would happen to me. Now it has. Do I regret my wish? Not a bit. Well worth it.

That kind of thinking will kill me, of course. People will think I'm insane. Let them. I don't care.

The clock reads 3 AM.

I need sleep. I climb back into bed. I'll sleep now. I'll think about all my problems later. I'll think about HIM later, and I'll decide what I want to.

This time, I wake up at a small noise. The kind you can never quite remember.

A nurse opens the door, "Good morning, Lea."

"Morning," I glance at her name tag, "Diana."

She looks puzzled, "How did you know my…"

I point at my own chest.

She looks down and blushes, "Oh…" She clears her throat, "I'll get you some breakfast."

My stomach grumbles, "Sounds good."

She nods and leaves.

I sit back on my pillows. My thoughts spin around inside at my head.

The very fact those two men, The Inspector and James had known about Him was worrying. I know I should be relieved they did, that I should have been terrified of Him, those eyes, always watching, but I wasn't. I was more scared of the men.

The men wanted something. They wanted something with Him.

They probably wanted to kill him.

It's funny. Two days ago, he was a complete stranger. Now I felt attached to him inexplicably. Not exactly like friendship. Close though.

Then again, could I really say I had ever had a real friend?

I wonder what it's like.

Diana returns with my food.

I barely spare her a glance, deep in one of my moods. I hope she doesn't take offense.

She places the tray over my legs and leaves.

I pick up the fork.

Well, if they want to kill him, they'll have to get through me first.

Strange, I've never felt like this before.

(AN: *Straps on helmet and hides in bomb shelter* I have no regrets for what's coming, but I'm gonna be prepared for the storm.)

If I didn't know better, I might mistake it for love, but it's not.

It's…Loyalty. That's it.

Loyal to a being that I haven't even known for a week, plus he's not even human. Ha. Just shows how much I know.

Well, he did save my life. That's something at least.

I hope you won't judge me for being completely honest here.

If I didn't know what the feeling was, I might have called it love, or longing, of even friendship. If I didn't know, but I did know. Loyalty, the willingness to give yourself completely for someone else, even if you die in the process. That is Loyalty.

I can't believe it. Like some people can't believe it when they fall in love with a person.

It's a powerful emotion, this Loyalty.

I can hardly think about anything else.

Not that I want to at the moment.

AN: Writer's Block Level: EXTREME. I've had it before, and I absolutely hate it. I know what I want to happen, but I can't find the right words. It's going a little more smoothly now though, I'm just lucky I had this chapter's rough draft written.

Oh and, this story just hit over a 1,000 views! Thank you to everyone who has read it!

MORE TO COME SOON!


	14. Chapter 14: Lea

Chapter 14

Dr. Mann visits after I finish eating.

"All of the tests are complete," He informs me, "we didn't find anything to keep you here. You can go home this afternoon."

"Thank you," I smile, "I'll call my parents."

After a brief conversation with my father, I settle down to wait out the hours until 5:00.

Diana brings in my clothes. Freshly washed, if you don't mind, and not a tear on them. I smile grimly, examining the skirt.

At noon exactly, there's a knock on my door.

"Come in," I call.

The Inspector and James walk in.

"Inspector," I say courteously.

He nods, "Lea."

I stand up, turning in a circle, "I always liked this outfit."

James looks puzzled, but impressed, "It looks good on you," He replies honestly.

"Thank you," I smile at him, "I never thought it would come back in such good condition." I pause, looking straight at The Inspector, "Not so much as a dirt stain."

He smiles, nodding in acknowledgement. James now looks completely mystified.

I sit on the bed again, "So maybe you'd like to tell me how you really knew I wasn't in the same alley as Max's body."

The inspector sits in the chair by my bedside, "A guess, based on several factors, but none of them concrete. The alley we found the body in was practically inaccessible, a maze just to find it. The state of the body suggested it had been thrown from a great height with considerable force, beyond that of a human. Also, we found a few drops of blood in the next alley over."

"Clever," I amended.

"I could say the same for you, very good."

"I'm surprised you didn't do a DNA check."

"Useless in such a filthy environment. We would end up with a sample contaminated with cat piss."

"Lovely,"

"Exactly,"

James, having apparently given up on following the conversation, notices a chair in the corner of the room, and carries it over. He sits beside the inspector.

"Now, let me talk this out," I begin, "You wouldn't have come back without a reason. Your boss wouldn't like it, not someone like him with such a large covert operation to run, so you came back for a number of reasons. One, you're here because yesterday's numbers were a little high, so you're going to take another scan, and ensure I don't go and die on you. Two, You're boss liked the look of the tapes, and thinks I might have 'potential' so you're here to keep an eye on me. And three, you brought the file you promised me, with permission from your boss, of course."

"Sounds about right,"

"Ok, you might as well scan me."

James produces the strange device from his pocket.

"Just out of curiosity," I ask, "how high do the numbers on that thing go?"

James answers me, a little proud to know something, "Supposedly, up to 9000. Ariel scans. 9000 means the monster is within a two mile radius. The creators say that if it's within a mile, the machine will sound an alarm." He swallows, "The highest number ever recorded was 11,000, the device apparently malfunctioned and started screaming, literally. It was later recovered, along with the body of its owner."

I shiver involuntarily, "And now?"

He hits a button, and the machine beeps, "250. A little higher than normal. The count never fals below 100."

"Fantastic," Sarcasm, even in the most dire straits.

"Right, close your eyes."

I obey, and feel the red light run along my body.

"All done,"

I open my eyes.

James consults the screen, "300. It's gone down."

"Good," Says The Inspector, "Lea, your reading will never be normal again, this is about as close as it will get."

I nod, "The number going down means I haven't had any more close contact since the other day?"

"Correct."

I resist the urge to smile. Not a very sensitive device. Luckily, for him and me. Instead, I look at The Inspector.

He raises his eyebrows, sighs, and reaches into his jacket.

I hold out my hand. A thick file-folder lands in it.

I weigh the object in my hand, "I thought this was a mysterious monster,"

"Nope," The Inspector taps the file, "we even have photographs."

I open the folder. Sure enough, on the top of the rest of the papers is a paper-clipped bundle odf photos.

They're hazy with distortion and taken in low-light, but I can still make out the featureless face, the tall figure, and abnormally long arms.

"The cameramen are dead," I say calmly.

"Correct again."

I look up at The Inspector, "So, start talking, I learn better by hearing information explained."

"The creature has been around for hundreds of years. The first record of its appearances are in Germany, 1400's. Since then, it's been around the world sightings 24/7. Fairy-tales and campfire stories, though they never mention a specific monster, all have its qualities."

"And what are its qualities exactly?" I ask.

The Inspector removes one sheet of paper from the file, handing it to me.

I scan the page, "Stalking, sometimes for decades, puncture wounds, removing organs." I whistle softly, "Targeted children in the past, but recently adults are the primary victims. All the adults killed…have had a tragedy in their lives…" I look up, "And this is all one entity? It seems a bit much."

The inspector sighs, "The creature is a phenomenon. It defies nature. It goes all the way to teleportation, and not a single chink in its armor we can use al leverage." He rubs the back of his neck, "To make matters worse, apparently it has humans that do its bidding, they even go so far as to start websites. However, there has never been a sighting of one of these Proxies, that's what they call themselves, in action."

I contain my emotions with some effort, halfway between laughing, and mentally whacking my… "friend" then bursting into tears. Shivers run along my spine. This is seriously freaking me out.

"I somehow doubt those rumors are true," I say, "this creature seems like the type that would rather work alone to me."

"Well… that implies singular, one existence," The Inspector drops the bombshell, "we think there might be more than one."

My brain kicks into overdrive. The stalking means some kind of intelligence, check. Alive for hundreds of years, check. Human servants, definite possibility, Hello! Multiple entities… could it be possible? It might. If it is true, I need to be cool.

"I doubt it," I say.

The Inspector frowns, "What?"

"It's incredible one of them exists, a whole race would tear the world apart. Plus, I have a feeling that there would be a lot more casualties, unless only one is hostile. That, in itself, isn't likely."

After a pause he nods, "Agreed. Maybe there are only a few, and one has the ability and intelligence to form human organizations. That's a possibility."

I nod, "It's the most likely option, assuming these human servants even exist."

He glances at the clock, then stands up. "We'd better leave. The file is yours."

"Thank you," I reply.

We'll be in touch."

"Pardon me for asking, but, does this monster have a name?" I blurt.

The Inspector pauses, one hand on the doorknob, "We call it, Slender Man." He leaves, James close behind him.

AN: I'm glad everyone likes my story so much, I wasn't expecting such a good response. I'd like to announce I've started a tumlr blog under the same name as my fanfiction account. I'll be posting poems, quotes, maybe even chapters of stories there. I'll also be answering questions, if anyone wants to ask something, so check it out! I'll see you all next chapter!


	15. Chapter 15: Slender

Chapter 15: Slender

The woman whips around, scanning the shadows. She remains motionless for a moment, then turns away.

Her footsteps are fast on the wet cement. She runs towards her house.

I let her go, enjoying the chase, then I move.

I pop into existence ten yards to her right, she spots me, leaps skyward, and looks again. I'm not there anymore.

Now I'm behind her. Then I'm down the street. And, finally, as she turns the key in its lock, I'm at the end of her hallway.

Even as she sees me, I disappear. It's too much for her, and she sinks to the floor, sobbing in terror.

I'm surprised she lasted so long. Other humans have broken down much faster.

I let her rest for now, retreating into my own half-lit world.

Th woman isn't the only one I've been toying with. There are several more humans who feel my presence. They shiver and see things in shadowy corners. I can feel my existence ripping them to shreds.

I suppose in a way it amuses me. The way a child toys with an insect, or a cat plays with a mouse.

These games end just as those do, a killing blow, dealt by the tormentor.

These games have always kept me occupied, when I wasn't tormented by light or lost in darkness.

A suitable pastime for a creature such as me, and one I thoroughly enjoyed.

Right now, however, I need to focus. I've long since given up to thinking of a name for myself. I've been without one for so long, and my vocabulary just doesn't have the right word.

The reason I need to concentrate right now is Lea.

She seems to be in a difficult situation, one I know I shouldn't tamper with, unless I wanted her or both of us dead.

So I let her handle it.

But she's telling me to pay attention and listen. Information is on the way. Information about me, or what these people know about me.

The knowledge flows slowly at first, numbers, facts, and figures. Calculations that have a deeper meaning. A detection device of sorts. These pieces of knowledge mean nothing to me, so I let them slip away.

Then, suddenly, a flood of information. Images, sounds, words, they all mass together. A man's voice, as heard by Lea, is saying, "The first record of its presence was in Germany, the 1400s…" He rattles on for a little while, then Lea begins talking, reading aloud. "Staling, sometimes for decades, puncture wounds, removing organs…" Her voice fades away.

The flow of information continues. Images, places, names.

It stops, just for a second. Lea's momentary shock blasting away the flow. Then she regains control.

I'm starting to feel the effects too. They know everything, no, MORE than everything. They know about things that I'm not responsible for.

Then, gradually, a piece of information comes down. Human servant? Proxies? I've never heard of them. I've never associated with humans before. The ones I saw before this week I killed or tormented.

Proxies, if they existed, were not something I created.

Lea seems guarded about this, unwilling to share her emotions.

I don't bother her. I don't have the chance. Because two final facts have just arrived.

One, they think there might be more like me.

And two, a trailing tag along, they have a name for me. Slenderman.

For a second, I'm unable to react. Then I relax, running the name through my head. Slenderman. It seems like a bit of a mouthful. Maybe just "Slender" would work better. It seems oddly fitting.

Lea agrees. She says it sounds good. She's not really focusing though, and soon turns to her own thoughts.

She's thinking about her home. I watch her thoughts for a few minutes.

Then I flicker out of existence.

AN: Hello again! I'm sorry I haven't posted in a while, I've been busy. No excuse, I know.

Well… in case you're getting a little bored: Stuff is going to start happening soon. I promise. I have the rough draft.

Constructive criticism is welcome. If you don't like something I'm doing, please tell me. I want to get this as close to perfect as possible.

*stuffs helmet on to head* I'm staying in the bomb shelter until the next few chapters are over!


	16. Chapter 16: Lea

Chapter 16: Lea

About two hours after The Inspector left, I was sitting in the car next to my father.

My "old man" doesn't have the strongest personality. Far from it. Don't get me wrong, he's plenty smart. He just doesn't stick his neck out.

Also, if you don't talk about something, he tends to ignore it.

And now you know how I got the file home without too many questions.

After a 10 minute drive through the crowded streets, we pull up in front of the apartment building. I hop out of the car, saying a quick goodbye.

I enter the key-code into the door and step into the entryway.

My parents aren't picky or cautious. Plus, they trust me. To a certain extent.

They don't feel that I need therapy or even a break. Besides, they say when you have a tragedy, accident, trauma, etc. you're supposed to throw yourself back into everyday life. So we go straight back to normal. The new normal, that is.

Anyway, a couple years before, they decided our apartment was too crowded and rented me the one across the hall.

It was the cheapest option, plus it gave us all some privacy, which is hard to come by in a five room apartment.

I was happy with the arrangement.

Of course, for the first year or so, I had gone across the hall to eat or watch family movies. Now though, I could cook better than either of my parents, and family time was overrated anyway.

So, now it was basically me alone. Every teenager's dream.

At the moment, I was only concerned with my privacy. My ability to go through the file in my own time and absorb the information.

I slide the key in the lock. It turns with a click.

I push open the door.

Total destruction meets my eyes.

The drawers are pulled out of the end table, their contents spilled on the floor. The painting of wolves lays on the ground as well, thankfully not broken.

I carefully pick my way through the debris, peeking into the bathroom. The tub is filled to overflowing, there are puddles on the floor, the shampoo spills onto the rug, and the soap is just so much lavender powder, scattered across everything.

I think it's the toilet paper that starts me giggling. It looks as if a rapid cat had gotten hold of it. Shredded, it lays over the entire mess.

I open the drain on the tub and leave.

My bedroom… well, the contents of the dresser had been strewn all over the floor. The bad had been stripped bare and the blankets were in a crumpled heap on the floor. The closet was open, winter clothes and shoes kicked everywhere. I spot my walking stick laying in one corner.

Well, I told everyone it was for walking. In reality, I have recently begun dabbling in staff fighting and Kendo, Japanese Swordsmanship. I have developed a few useful and effective techniques, though the weapon itself was too short for a staff and too clumsy for a sword.

I scope the stick up and place the Slenderman file on my bed.

The kitchen is in the same stare as the two other rooms. The cupboards had been emptied, objects thrown across the floor. The same with the fridge and freezer, with the addition of a puddle of melted ice.

For a few seconds, I'm afraid that the dishes would be broken, then I noticed.

Not a box was torn. Not a crumb was on the floor. Not a single glass had been chipped. Not even the salt shaker, ornamental and delicate had been damaged, even though it lay five feet from its regular perch.

I blink, then a sneaking suspicion begins to form in my mind.

I step into the living room, looking around.

The furniture itself is undisturbed, but what small decorations there are, are scattered across the room.

What appears to be a blanket has been thrown over a chair, and the shades are closed.

The TV is turned off, but it's emitting an irritating buzzing noise and crackling as if in distress. My gaming console is smoking slightly.

I sigh.

I walk around the couch, and, sure enough, there he was.

Slender is stretched out on the cushions. One long arm is tucked behind his head, one knee slightly bent.

His suit, which at first glance I had thought was the pattern on his skin, is revealed to be clothing. (AN: Don't lie, we all thought so at first. *ducks down in bomb shelter*) It's hiked up slightly, revealing a strip of white skin on his side.

For an instant, I'm stunned by how vulnerable he seems. A tall, slim figure, somehow serene.

Then I remember the file and the blood. I turn away.

I start picking up various items from the floor and setting them in their proper places.

I'm finished in a few minutes.

I leave the room silently to continue cleaning up.

Two hours later, I'm leaning on my bed, thanking whoever might be listening it's still summer vacation. (Not for much longer, unfortunately.) And that I have the ability to clean so fast.

Of course, there had been no serious messes to clean up. Nothing was broken. But it had taken some doing.

Now that the bed is made, I'm officially done with cleanup.

I grab the Slenderman file and my laptop, leaving the room.

Setting them both down on the table, I go to the stove.

I don't really feel like cooking, but I have to eat something.

I fill a pot about halfway with water and set it on the stove. I turn on the over, preheating it.

While I wait, I open my laptop and power it up. I check my email and various other websites. Nothing new.

Then I open Google in my web browser and type "Slenderman" into the search bar.

Not exactly subtle, but I've already been noticed by the powerful organizations, so no need to hide.

Wikipedia is the top hit. I open the link in a new tab.

If I hadn't seen him, the information would have been enough to destroy any suspicions about Slendermens' existence. Wikipedia says he doesn't exist. That he was the creation of a man who entered a photo contest. Black and white pictures of a giant faceless figure , standing in the shadows behind children.

I don't doubt that the people who wrote the site believed it.

By the end of the article, I believe it too. I can feel the heavy disappointment creeping up inside of me. The same feeling you get when you discover Santa isn't real, or your 11th birthday doesn't bring a letter from Hogwarts.

Looking at the file, I wonder if it's all a fake, just a joke.

Glancing towards the sofa, I start to think that the figure earlier was a figment of my imagination. It well could be.

I've had enough trauma to be experiencing hallucinations.

The over beeps, interrupting my train of thought.

I get up and put some eggrolls on a baking sheet and sliding it into the oven.

I'm not one for instant food, but they're delicious.

I turn on the stove, warming up the water. It doesn't take long before it's boiling.

I open the cupboard and retrieve a package of ramen. Slitting open the package, I remove the flavor packet and plop the block of noodles into the boiling water.

I wait a few minutes, allowing my thoughts to spin out of control. After about a minute, a mind goes blank, and I allow myself to "sleep" on my feet. I'm not really asleep, of course, just not really thinking or moving. This is the only state of mind I'm not fidgeting in.

I stir myself to take the pot off of the stove. I get out a bowl and a pair of chopsticks. I add the noodles to the bowl, pouring in some water along with them. Then I tear open the flavor packet and dump in the contents, giving it all a good stir. (AN: There you go; How to Make Ramen for Dummies.)

The oven beeps. I hit the "done" button and remove the pan using a pot holder. I set it on the stove.

I put the eggrolls on a plate, grab them and the ramen and head back to the table.

(AN: *rereads last three paragraphs* What am I even doing?!)

I set down the plate and bowl and sit down, closing the Wikipedia tab on my laptop.

Some people think I'm left-handed because that's the hand I write with. Some think I' left handed because that's the hand I use to play sports. It's actually neither. And I'm not ambidextrous either. I can't write with my right hand, and I can't hit a thing with my left. I'm some crazy mix, non-dominant, I think you'd call it. This has its advantages. Neither of my hands are clumsy, and neither are extremely coordinated. So, if I want to do two things at once, say, eat ramen and manipulate a keyboard, I can.

With my left hand, I scrolled down the rest of the search results, with my right, I take a bite or an eggroll.

The results are mostly fraudulent. Supposed videos, photographs, Proxy sightings. How does the general public even know about Proxies?

The only thing that looks promising is a Wikia site. Not official, but the official one didn't help. I open it.

As I read the information, my disbelief grows. Almost every fact is identical to the file The Inspector gave me. The pictures are different, true, but the information itself is the same.

But there's more.

The Wikia is obviously well-maintained and contains multiple pages of information about anything and everything.

I ignore the Proxy, early appearances, and human contact pages. Then I see it.

"The Organization." I click the link.

A very Shady group, to say the least. The site can't give more than a vague description.

I sigh and close the tab. The site has plenty of information, but I have to be careful, and besides, I had the file and the monster himself apparently asleep on my sofa.

That was, If I hadn't hallucinated the entire encounter.

If this wasn't some huge practical joke.

If I wasn't laying near death in a back alley right now.

But can you hallucinate about something you know nothing about? And can hallucinations really be this water-tight?

No, this was definitely happening.

But I can't really believe it. The Wikia page hasn't repaired the damage done by Wikipedia. I need to prove to myself I didn't just imagine Slender into existence. Assuming I'm not hallucinating right now.

I get up out of my chair. It won't wait even a moment.

I have to check.

I look over the back of the sofa. My heart is in my throat. The sense of hope is painfully familiar. Left over from years of wishing reality away.

I'm almost too afraid to look. But I do.

He's lying on his side, curled into a crescent. His white skin almost red tie has come un-tucked and now is draped halfway off the edge of the sofa.

I sigh, turning away. He's there. I'm not crazy.

I sit back down at the table and pick up my chopsticks.

As I eat I leaf through the Slenderman file.

There isn't much to tell.

The Inspector said they knew a lot about the monster.

Flat out lie.

They barely know anything. They're merely interesting in capturing and/ or killing him.

I sigh. A waste.

I finish off my dinner and put the dishes in the dishwasher.

I head back to the table and continue going through the file.

One of the pictures catches my attention. I examine it more closely.

It's a fuzzy close-up of Slender's face. There's one difference though.

A jagged line has split his face. It reminds me of a malevolent grin.

It would appear Slender has a mouth.

I'm just considering this development when I hear a noise behind me.

I turn around.

Slender is sitting up.

AN: Longest chapter yet, and it's a load of BS. I can assure you that interesting stuff is going to happen in approximately four chapters. They aren't that long, don't worry.

Again, this is NOT a romance. Clear? Good.

I'll see everyone soon!


	17. Chapter 17: Slender

Chapter 17: Slender

Being bombarded by a maelstrom of thoughts immediately after waking up isn't fun.

As if sleeping itself isn't confusing enough experience. Sleeping isn't something I have to do, but it's a good way to pass time and relax.

I grope me way into consciousness, sitting up groggily. I shake my head.

Lea's thoughts hit me like a tidal wave. An immense mass of questions and feelings explode inside me head.

I lay back down.

"Sorry," She apologizes.

"Was that really necessary?" I ask.

"What? And it's okay for you to completely destroy my apartment?" She retorts.

I'm not really sure how to respond.

"Whatever," She sighs, "You're quite well known by the way."

"What?"

"There's even a video game about you." (AN: Never beat it. High score is 6/8 pages)

"A Video game?"

"Yup. The internet is having a field day." She snorts, "Wikipedia claims you don't exist."

"Really?"

She nods, "Somebody got you in a couple of pictures standing behind kids and submitted them to a contest.

"Did they win?"

"I don't know. The article didn't say. Anyway, the pictures went viral and next thing you know, Slenderman is everywhere."

I can't really respond. I understand, telepathy has some advantages, but I just don't know what to say. I don't need to; Lea keeps talking.

"The pictures though… they're remarkably clear. And the figure doesn't resemble you, besides the lack of a face.

I notice my tie has come un-tucked and hurriedly fix it.

She doesn't continue speaking.

I get up off the sofa.

"You have a mouth?" She asks suddenly.

"What?"

She picks up a piece of paper, "There's a picture where you have your mouth open. I was wondering if you really have one."

I open my mouth.

She turns her head to see, but doesn't react.

"I see." She says, her fingers resume their ceaseless rhythm on the keyboard.

I close my mouth with a snap and consider her.

She's in a mood. She's nervous or scared. Scared of what? Not of me. Scared of… me running away? Not Lea. She couldn't be afraid of that.

Could she?

No. It wasn't possible… was it?

I sigh.

Lea glances towards me, then looks away.

"You're wondering about Proxies." I say.

She doesn't respond.

"I keep my…face… turned toward her, "It's not like I had the means to communicate with humans until this week."

"True."

"So these people… they might exist, but they aren't connected to me."

"You're right." She doesn't smile, "But chances are, they were trying to find you. They know what they're doing, and they're looking for you."

"What's wrong?" I'm honestly concerned.

"…It's just…" She trails off.

I stare hard at her, focusing on her thoughts. Her mind is formidable, but she lets me see what she's thinking.

Her thoughts swirl in a cloud of painful emotions. I'm aware that this is something sensitive. She would never say any of this out loud. I take a few moments to examine her thoughts.

I'm surprised.

She doesn't say anything for a minute. Then, "There's no point in lying or acting. You're inside my head anyway."

"Hmm…" I think for a moment. "Lea?"

"Ya?"

"How long does it take for humans to become friends?"

"I wouldn't know. All my supposed friends have ditched me."

"Oh…" Well, that explains a lot. "Then how long does it take to be loyal to someone?"

"Depends on what they do. If they save your life; less than a millisecond." She smiles.

"Save your life?"

"Yup if you hadn't come along I would have been killed." Her fingers fly across the keyboard.

After a few seconds, I break the silence again, "What are you doing?"

"Just taking some notes." She says slowly, concentrating.

"On what?"

"I'm compiling my own database on Slendermen, Proxies, and The Organization."

"Why?"

She glances sideways at me, "There's a lot of information out there. If I want to remember it all, I need to have it all on tap."

"And what are you finding?"

"Everything from Newspaper clippings to blogs and social media," She smiles wryly.

"You can't be serious."

"Most of the Social Media sites are maintained by Proxies. They seem to exist on every level from Black-hearted killer and powerful organization to familiar servants and companions."

I appear behind Lea's chair, leaning in to see the screen.

Lea yanks her hands away from the computer as it sparks and buzzes. The screen flickers.

"Watch it!" She exclaims, "You'll short out the power."

I back off a few feet and the computer settles.

Lea cautiously lays her hands on the keyboard.

"Of course, it's practically impossible to tell which ones are real Proxies and which ones are bluffing."

"Practically impossible?" I ask, "Doesn't that imply there's a way to tell?"

"There might be." The taps the keyboard thoughtfully, "I can't ask them directly, not if don't want to accidentally stumble across a real one and get myself killed."

"So then how can you tell?"

"If I assume there are multiple Slendermen…" She ignores my question, "then I can assume that they all share certain characteristics. And those characteristics can be traced to the Proxies."

I turn away, moving into the kitchen.

Lea's cleaned up. I feel a little guilty that I destroyed her apartment, but I didn't break anything. I had just been curious.

I open a cupboard. It's filled with tall rectangular boxes. I take one down and open it. It's full of some kind of flakes.

I reach into the box and carefully pick one out. I pop it into my mouth. It's sweet and crunchy.

Tipping back my head, I pour more of the flakes into my mouth.

I'm just chewing the last of the box when Lea yells from the other room.

"I know you're eating cereal in there! You'd better not be sick!"

I don't reply, but guiltily put the cereal box back in the cupboard.

I sulk back into the other room.

Lea is still sitting at the table, the contents of the file spread before her.

"I give it three days before they contact me again." She says.

"The Inspector?" I ask.

She nods, "The Organization."

"Why would they contact you at all?"

She looks away from her research for the first time, gazing right at me, "The Inspector dropped a couple hints during his latest visit. They want to recruit me. They'll find a way to do it, then they'll find a way to hold on to me."

"So what do we do?"

She blinks at me, then laughs, "You don't do anything, it's my responsibility. I'll go along with their plan."

"I just sit back and watch then?" I ask, a little disappointed.

"Don't do anything different than what you're doing now. Just wait. I'll need a way out once I'm in."

"You're being extremely calm about this."

"I've read enough thriller novels to keep my head in this situation." She shrugs.

"In my experience, humans break down pretty easily."

She snorts, "Your experience is hunting normal people."

"They're not normal." I say immediately.

She gives me a sideways look but doesn't comment, "In any case, The Organization will be chasing me down within the week, recruiting me, and making sure I stay their operative in any way possible."

"Any way possible?"

"Any. It could get bloody."

I'm starting to see where she's going with this, "So I jump in?"

"Yup. You'll have to get me out."

"But why go at all?"

"Two reasons. One, they want to capture and/or kill you, so I need to stop them."

I don't question the statement, "and reason two?"

She smiles evilly, "I'm curious."

I'm startled for a moment, then I sigh.

I seem to have ended up with a rather interesting Proxy.

AN: I'm not going to say anything other than this:

There is very little between my thoughts and what you read. I take no responsibility for what my brain comes up with late at night.

That is all.


	18. Chapter 18: Lea

Chapter 18: Lea

**Two Days Later**

I turn off my music, looking towards the door.

There it is again. Someone's knocking, no, banging on the door.

I set down my book and pull off my headphones.

I peer through the peephole on the door. My mother is on the other side.

I open the door.

"Lea!" She exclaims, hugging me.

"Mom?" I ask, trying to sound surprised.

"Lea," She steps back, holding me at arm's length, "Oh Lea!" I notice she has tears brimming in her eyes.

"What?" I say.

"You've got to see this," She thrusts a letter towards me.

I take it.

The envelope is addressed to me, but the seal is already open. I don't even bother giving her a reproachful look.

Instead, I open the envelope. Inside there are three sheets of paper.

I carefully remove them.

"Dear Lea," I read aloud, "we are proud to announce that, because of your academic excellence, you have been selected to attend classes at The Academy." I groan inwardly, really subtle, that. "Enclosed in this envelope is your information and packing list… signed Headmaster Almes."

"You see?" My mother asks.

"I don't believe it." I stare at the letter.

"Neither do I!" She laughs, "You get to attend the highest rated private school in the country on full scholarship! It's amazing!"

"Hah!" I say, smiling so widely I could have swallowed a watermelon. "When do I go?"

"The Academy is a year-round school," She lectures, "They want you to attend ASAP, and the fall session is beginning this week! We need to buy a plane ticket…" She doesn't even finish the thought, bustling off.

I sigh and close the door.

The Academy. Of I've heard of it. The World-famous school. They're unique in that they don't recruit students in the usual way. They monitor students nation-wide and select about 250 to attend the school each year.

Just to be considered is a huge honor. To be accepted, well, it's basically a one-way ticket to the college of your choice.

Not that I had ever really thought about what I wanted to do, or even had the vaguest thought on the matter.

Anyhow, ordinarily, I would have been thrilled, speechless, completely ecstatic. Now though, I have a feeling that this isn't what it appears to be.

I turn to the second paper of the letter. Schedule, pick up times, contact information, just normal stuff.

The third paper is a packing list. Normal stuff. There's no mention of school supplies though. My mom probably assumed they provide them. They probably do.

I flip the paper over. On the back is one final piece of information.

"I'll be picking you up at the airport when you arrive.

-James"

I facepalm so hard I feel my teeth rattle. The idiot wrote a note on a normal piece of paper using a normal pen. He didn't even use code. Nothing secret about this.

I, for one, was going to yell at him for this.

He's lucky my mother doesn't pay attention to these things.

Now I had to make sure no one else saw this paper.

I open my apartment door, stepping into the hallway.

Our building has a communal room on the third story, which is the floor my parents and I live on. There's a scanner and printer in there.

I look left and right before entering the room. I don't like people knowing my business when it's average. If someone found this… don't think about it.

Burning shame for all eternity.

I place the paper in the scanner and select the "copy" option. A single page emerges from the printer.

I take a moment to confirm that the copy is an exact replica of the front of the original paper. Then I fold up the original and slip it into my pocket.

I leave the room and hurry back to my apartment.

Safely inside, I add the copy to the other two papers. (AN: Before you start picking out the problems with this scheme, please remember Lea is a fifteen year old girl, and isn't any kind of genius. I am well aware of several complications that could mess this up.)

There. No one will see the note now.

Just in case, I tear the original up and throw it away.

Okay, maybe I'm being a little extreme about this, but I'd rather do too much than too little.

That done, I walk into my bedroom and examine the packing list. I begin assembling the items specified.

I take a moment to check on Slender.

He's chasing some poor sap. In Egypt by the look of it.

The poof man is terrified.

I remember Slender saying that the people he hunts "Aren't normal." I wonder what he means.

Is there some hidden personality trait only he can see that helps him select his victims?

"You could say that," He replied to my thoughts, "They Burn."

"Burn how?"

He sends me a grainy image, the gray-scape of his vision, shattered by a blinding light so intense it sears my mind.

"Like that." He says.

I don't reply.

I look down at my clothes, mentally going through the list, and notice my hands are shaking.

I take a deep breath, closing my eyes. I focus on an image of the forest. I feel the visualization solidify, become real, in a way.

I exhale and open my eyes.

I feel steadier.

Checking the next item on the list, I resume packing.

I give it about two hours before my mom has the details ironed out. I have to prepare to be on a plane tomorrow. That's what will happen.

And then I'll be gone, at least for a while, possibly forever.

AN: For those of you who are a little confused about Lea's personality, I'll say that she has been designed to be this way. She's a sly person, sneaky, and not above a little backstabbing. She also has one of those personalities you can't nail down. She acts one way in front of her peers, another way in front of her parents, and yet another in front of The Inspector and The Organization…. I could rant about this for hours. Whatever, you get it. Slender is perhaps the only person who actually sees her true personality, and it's above my level to describe it.


	19. Chapter 19: Slender

AN: Hi again! Sorry for the long wait. You can blame it on my incredible curiosity for the world of Creepasta, my infernal tendency to become consumed by any story I find interesting (Hero's Bane by Blackdragon41, go read it, especially if you like Minecraft, but you won't need to know a thing going in.) So reading 43 chapters took a while… Anyway, I'm back… kinda, still need to get my head on straight again, but I'm getting there. I had the rough of this written up about a week. I finally typed it up! Please enjoy, and I know this is a weird chapter.

Fact: 50% of you didn't bother to read this.

Chapter 19: Slender

"Humans are the creator of many great things. We can communicate across the world instantaneously, and carry an entire library in our pocket, but if there's one thing we could improve on, it's the service at airports. How long am I going to be standing here?" Lea asks idly.

"Do you want me to short out the security equipment?" I ask.

She forces a smile, "And send the whole nation into a panic? No. Not today."

"Maybe some other time,"

"Definitely,"

I'm a little concerned. Lea's obviously preoccupied with something. She's a little shaken.

"What's wrong?" I ask suddenly.

She chuckles, "I guess telepathy is only convenient when you don't keep secrets, huh?"

I don't reply.

She sighs, "The thing you have to understand is there are a few truths on this planet. A few facts that are never disputed, even in children's books and wild nightmares. One of these truths is 'No matter hos strong, powerful, and stony you think you are, you have a weakness. You are afraid of something.' So, to answer your question, I'm scared. I'm scared they might find my weakness."

"I don't have a weakness." I argue.

She laughs tightly, "If someone other than Max had been assaulting me, if it was someone who knew what they were doing, you would have been completely exposed."

"But no one was, and I wasn't."

"Yes, but the weak point still exists."

"So what's the weak point exactly?"

I hear a burst of gunfire. Lea screams in agony.

There's blood on the tile floor, blood on her hands and leg, dripping into her eye.

She writhes on the ground.

I react immediately, a mixture of anger and fear swells inside of me. I have to get her out of there. Get her to a hospital. Save her again.

"That weak point." Lea says calmly.

I freeze.

She hasn't been shot. She's not bleeding. "What?"

"A movie clip." She explains.

I send the feeling of white-hot anger.

"You asked." She replies.

"I didn't want _that_."

"Still, that's your weakness. Keep it in check." She smiles.

"I swear…" I let the thought trail off.

"Sorry," She's shameful, "I won't do it again. I promise."

I let go of it for now. "So what's your weakness?"

"That's what I'm afraid of. I don't know." She shivers.

"But you figured out mine in a few days, how can you not know your own?"

"It's easier to pin someone else down than it is to label yourself. I don't know myself at all. And anyway, I can see and sense all of your emotions and thoughts clearer than my own."

"I know that feeling," I reply thoughtfully. I'm remembering all those long years without emotion. Just empty and dark, no personality, no reason even to live, just unable to die.

Lea picks up on the thought and shivers.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" I say abruptly.

"Yes. Even if I had a choice, which I don't. If I don't go, they'll just figure out a way to make me." She steps up to a metal detector.

The attendant nods and she steps under the arch. The machine buzzes, but doesn't go off.

"Listen," Lea says to me, "We can't be in contact while I'm on the plane. Even a cell phone can disrupt the navigation system, there's no telling what this kind of field will do to it."

"Fine, but if the plane crashes…"

She shudders, "I don't want to think about it."

She severs the connection.

I sit motionless in my gray world. It seems darker without her splash of color.

Is this what a Proxy is? A proxy; a substitute, delegate, stand-in. The official definition. I shake off the thoughts and check on my prey.

The woman is jumping at shadows, looking a little deranged. Poor little human. I've been tormenting her for a long time. It's about time I finished the game.

I need to kill something anyway, stay with the pattern like Lea said.

I flicker out of existence.

Oh little human, tiny little human, what's your weakness.

AN: …That worked better than expected. Now I can write the next rough.

Just so you know, you can expect to see a lot less chapters from Slender's POV from here on. If you absolutely MUST know what he's doing… I'll try to write one. I have an idea about how to do that too.

I'm not sure how I'll transition between two upcoming points in the story. It'll be tough, and I won't be able to build as much tension as I want to, but I'll make it through.

Oh, and we have more characters coming in soon. I'm not looking forward to trying to keep them all straight. X3 I should have a surprise for you guys… approximately chapter 30, maybe a little later, but it's coming.


	20. Chapter 20: Lea

Chapter 20: Lea

Flying is, statistically, the safest way to travel, driving being the most dangerous. But those facts don't stop me from imagining what will happen if the plane crashes.

Of course, Slender said he would help if it did. Not that I don't trust him, but he's not the most reliable person on earth.

So for the flight to Washington, I do my best not to think. Not easy.

I'm not well acquainted with air travel. I'm not comfortable with it. I'm not afraid of heights; I can look over canyons and go to the top of sky scrapers. I'm afraid of hitting the ground. The moment when I hit, I know my bones will liquefy, and I'll feel my ribcage smash. I can almost experience the sensation when I think about it. It's horrible.

But that's not the only reason I hate air travel. The other reason is the airplanes themselves. They're packed full of people. I don't like people. Especially when I'm forced to sit between a woman who is asleep for most of the trip and a man with a cough that makes me flinch every time I hear it.

And then there's waiting for your baggage to come off the plane. That's annoying too. It took nearly half an hour for my duffle to appear on the conveyor belt.

I scope it up and head for arrivals.

I glance around the large area. Taxi drivers holding signs line the street. People hugging family or shaking hands with business associates crowd the pavement.

Of course, there's no sign with my name on it. I wasn't expecting there to be. I look carefully. Far away from the airport exit, there's a black car. The man leaning against it isn't holding a sign. Even from this far away, I can tell who he is. The body language makes him stick out a mile from everyone else. He's coiled, like a spring, ready to move at a moment's notice. Wary eyes flicking over the sea of faces.

I step away from the crowd and head in his direction.

James gives a little wave. Not more than two fingers on his hands move.

I give him a reproving look as I draw within earshot, "Next time you want to leave a secret note to someone, at least use some form of code, and make it look like the rest of the printing.

He shrugs, "I didn't have the time to prepare."

"Then just add, 'we'll have someone there to pick you up' to the letter."

"Got it," He opens the car door.

I climb into the back seat and sit down. James walks around the car and gets into the driver's seat.

I lean forward to the front seat, "So how did you end up here, working for them?"

He shrugs again, starting up the car, "They took an interest in me. I get a letter saying to come to The Academy, now I'm here."

"And how old are you?"

"Seventeen,"

I snort, "Are they insane?!"

"Not insane," he corrects, "Very intelligent."

I sit back with a sigh. He's probably right.

Either that, or this is a huge joke. We'll see soon enough.

40 minutes of awkward silence later, we pull up in front of a classic red brick building.

There are other teenagers milling around the courtyard. They don't have uniforms on, and they all seem happy and cheerful.

The Academy is renowned for more than their recruitment techniques.

James leads me through the crowd.

"Is that the new girl?" I hear someone ask.

"Must be, whose homeroom is she in?"

"Not mine,"

"Not mine either,"

I listen closely. I might hate people, but that doesn't mean they don't interest me.

"Hey, it's the newbie! Hello, my friend." (AN: Opening line courtesy of my best friend.)

I stop walking, turning to see who had spoken.

He's tall with black hair and sincere, kind deep brown eyes. His grin is a little lopsided. His skin is tanned, and his arms are muscular. He reminds me of someone. The thought sends a dangerous prickle down my spine. I do my best to hide it.

I give him my best smile, "Hello."

"Name's David," He offers his hand to shake.

I shake it firmly, pushing down the impulse to correct his grammar, "I'm Lea."

James clears his throat behind me.

I glance back at him, he gives me a look that says "come on."

"See you around?" David asks.

This time, my smile is a little dangerous, "I doubt it," I say and turn away.

I can practically taste the silence behind me.

Slender huffs.

I send a telepathic chuckle across to him.

James breaks the silence after a moment, "Was that really necessary?"

I shrug, "They're either going to hold me in awe or avoid me like the plague anyway. I just have that personality." Which is true.

"Well aren't you a social butterfly," Sarcasm, I note.

I snort, "More like a reclusive cricket."

"An attractive one," He pauses, "that boy practically runs the social show."

I ignore the comment, thinking to myself that it's best to start at the head if you want to take down a snake. "Unless it's a Hydra," Says a small portion of my brain that's always detached. I push the thought down.

Slender notices the thought and bursts into laughter.

I ignore that too.

James and I climb up a stairwell until we reach the third floor of the dorm building.

He turns aside and walks down the hallway. I watch the numbers on the doors slowly rise. James stops outside door 307.

"This is your room,"

"Single cell?" I joke.

"Nope. You've got a roommate," He doesn't smile, "The Inspector must be crazy, putting the two of you together."

"I'll be fine," I say reassuringly.

"I hope so." He knocks on the door.

"Come in," Calls a voice.

I step inside.

Before James can say anything, I start talking, "Hello, I'm your new roommate, Lea."

The girl turns her head, flicking back a strand of light brown hair from her face. She gazes at me with tawny eyes.

"I'm Raun." (Pronounced: Ra-oon) Her eyes calm and calculating.

I stare right back at her. I can tell she has a hot temper, ready to blow any moment. I can feel the tension in the air. She's examining me, looking for any weaknesses.

James steps forward, as if to intervene.

I flick my hand out stopping him.

Raun notices the movement. Her eyes flicker towards it. Then I notice something odd. She's taking deep breaths through her nose, almost like she's scenting the air. I squint at her.

And suddenly, Raun breaks out into a completely carefree and happy smile, "Welcome to the dorm, Lea-san."

AN: Yay! Chapter 20! 2,700+ views is amazing! I can't believe I've actually gotten this far. My favorite part in the story is coming up. I'm taking my time getting to it, though the stress of wanting to write it is almost killing me. I can hardly wait!

Also, let me just say that if you are as sucked into this story as I'm sucked into Hero's Bane… I'm sorry. And, if you're stressing about what's going to happen next, you're right to. If you leave a review with a guess about what's going to happen next, I'll probably respond. Great way to start a conversation if you want to have one. Any questions will be answered, if asked, unless it's a spoiler. No spoilers. I'll shut up now…


	21. Chapter 21: Lea

AN: Guys, if you see any typos, improper grammar, etc. Please tell me so I can fix it. It annoys me more than it should to have mistakes in my writing.

Chapter 21: Lea (again. Get used to it)

I hurriedly shove James from the room, fling my duffle onto my new bed, and flop down next to it.

"Lea-san?" I ask.

"Ya, -san. It's a Japanese honorific that-" Raun starts.

"I know what it means," I interrupt, "but is –san really necessary? Why not –chan or –kun?"

"You just turn up out of the blue and expect me to call you Lea-chan?"

"We're going to be seeing quite a bit of eachother."

She grunts and lets out an explosive sneeze.

"Bless you," I say automatically.

"Thanks. Sorry about that, my nose is really sensitive. I can smell things no one else can."

"Like what?"

"Blood,"

"Really?"

"Yup, if you've touched blood in the past week, I can smell it."

"You're joking," I call the bluff.

She laughs, "I am. I thought you actually believed me for a second."

I frown, with all the crazy stuff I've seen in the past few days, I wouldn't be half surprised if she had been telling the truth.

I sit up, "So this is my bed, where do I put my stuff?"

"Under the bed. There's a drawer."

"Thanks."

I check under the bed. There is a drawer, but it's shallow and long. I want to keep my things in my duffle bag, just in case.

I close the empty drawer, pushing it as far back as I can.

There's just enough room to fit my duffle next to it.

It takes a bit of doing, but my bag fits neatly into the space.

Raun raises an eyebrow at me.

"I like to be prepared," I shrug.

She kicks at the full suitcase that sits beside her bed, "Me too."

"Let's hope we don't have to be."

"I like the unexpected. It keeps me on my toes." She swings her feet idly.

"If you say so,"

There's a moment of silence. Then the bell rings. At least, I assume it's the bell. With a sound like that, it could have been a small bomb.

Raun hops off her bed, "Lucky you, you got to miss a whole day of classes. They're finished for today."

"I haven't even gotten my schedule yet," I reply.

She shrugs, "Not my problem."

I make no response.

She opens the room's door, stepping through it, "That was the bell for dinner, in case you're wondering."

I stand up, "I can take a hint, I'm coming."

Raun purposefully leads me through the halls, down a few flights of stairs, and out the door to the courtyard.

Other students are already flooding towards another building. We join the throng.

Swept through the crowd, I can feel myself oppressed on all sides by other people.

I **hate **people. They drive me insane. Though I'd never wish harm on random strangers, people I get to know inevitably tick me off in one way or another.

The proximity of so many people is enough to start me fidgeting with irritation. I clench my fists, feeling my own nails bite into my flesh.

My eyes flit from face to face. I'm nervous, jumpy. Is it because I can sense creeping hands on my skin? Or is it because I feel like a traitor, like I'm a spy here?

I sense Slender shift. My feelings are filtering across to him. I snap off the contact.

I feel my uneasiness and irritation ball in my chest. I feel like punching something.

I glance involuntarily at Raun. She's staring at the ground, eyes smoldering like coals. Her hands are a blur of nervous motion. Her whole body is tense. It's like she can barely keep stepping forward.

I instinctively move away from the press of people, accidentally stepping towards her.

I take a deep shuddering breath, trying to calm down.

Raun glances at me.

I return her tight smile.

"I hate people," She mumbles, "they smell awful."

"I can't stand them. They're too…" What? Flawed, Abrupt, sudden? Human? I'm all those things. "I know," She says, "but we have to eat."

I nod.

At least the cafeteria is big enough for all the students to sit comfortably.

Raun and I both get pizza, ("Never get the meatloaf or sloppy joes. The pizza is the safest bet.") And make our way to a deserted table.

I don't ask permission to sit there, and she doesn't make any signs she doesn't want me to. I sit across from her, a little to the right. This way, in the subtle language of actions, we are stating to anyone who might glance our way that we know each other, but aren't especially good friends.

We eat in silence.

The pizza isn't the best I've had, but it isn't the worst either.

"Hey!" Calls a voice.

Raun and I glance up in unison.

David waves at us from across the room.

Raun pulls a face and looks back towards her pizza.

I give a nod and wave back.

David plops down next to me, "Hi lea."

"Hey," I reply, looking at my plate. I can practically feel his emotions. An irritated prickle runs along my spine.

I push away my pizza.

"The food not agreeing with you?" He asks.

"Just not hungry," I say, still looking down.

He shrugs, then leans forwards to see my face, "What classes do you have?"

"I don't have my schedule yet."

"What's your best subject,"

"Don't have one," I dodge. It's the truth, they're all about the same.

David frowns, "What's your favorite subject?"

"Science," I say automatically, though it isn't exactly true.

"Nice, I'm kind of a math person myself."

"And I don't give a ****," Raun interrupts.

David gives her a reproachful look, "Why're you here anyways?" He asks her.

"She's my roommate," I say, raising my head a little.

He sighs, "Too bad for you. You can eat at our table if you want. Get a little time away from her."

I see Raun's shoulders sink visibly.

I see now. This boy is the star here. He's the one that makes the rules. He runs the circus. He is the person everyone knows or hears about.

He points to a crowded table across the cafeteria. Even from here, I can tell it's full of jocks and beauty queens.

"What do you say?" David asks.

I take a moment to weigh up my options. I could infiltrate the "popular" group and most likely become admired, respected and accepted. Or I could stay here, be a loner, not play the game.

If I go to that table, David won't waste any time getting what he wants. That much I can tell from his body language and speech.

Any fool would know what choice to make.

I'm no fool.

"I don't think so."

"Come on, what harm could it do?" He persists.

I look David straight in the eyes, "I already have a table. I'm fine here."

He opens his mouth to talk, but I cut him off.

"And I already have someone else to worry about, I don't need to add another to the list,"

"You have a boyfriend?" He blinks.

"No," I reply firmly, halfway between laughing and wrinkling my nose, "But I have enough to stress about without your immature, absurd, stuck-up friends messing around with my emotions and social life."

"They wouldn't do that," He protests, "they're good friends, honest."

I let my eyes show white-hot fire. I can feel my impatience and frustration showing through them, "Leave. Now."

I see his eyes widen, a panicked look on his face. Without a word, he gets up and backs away. Then he turns and hurries back to his table.

Raun whistles, "Good job, you just ruined your chance with the hottest guy here."

I take a bite of my pizza, "Weren't you listening? I have someone else to worry about."

"Not a boyfriend?"

"Definitely not. Call him a… companion and employer," I wonder if I'm saying too much.

She raises an eyebrow, "Now you sound like a bodyguard."

I almost laugh, "I doubt he would need my protection."

"No name for this mysterious person?"

"Not one you'd like to hear."

She smiles, "Now I know something is up,"

"Come on, Raun, take a joke," I grin, "I'm just chasing off Mr. Popular."

She frowns without a word.

AN: There. Done. Now before we go any further; let's talk about a character: Raun. The following is taken directly from a texting conversation two nights ago:

"Raun was actually created by my best friend for a Role Play. I got attached to the character and decided to use her. Because said friend is amazingly awesome. And loves to create over the top characters who are apparently *spoiler*. Because there's nothing wrong with being *spoiler* or over the top, especially when you're also *spoiler* and have trust issues. And have a *extreme spoiler* Don't forget *same spoiler*. Yup. Because that's what awesome characters are made of. Things happen when you're half awake… yup… Because Raun is a *censored*, fans. The friend says you're bloody welcome. (Half of this wonderful speech was written by said friend at 10:00 pm. Never question what goes on at 10:00 pm. We don't even know.) …said friend is apparently god now… FRIEND IS GOD. SHE IS GOD."

Immediately after this, another RP was started in which said friend pissed off a Slenderman in a room full of Proxies, got beaten almost to death, then flew away on a magic flying wolf. (Don't ask) (I am so posting this on my profile.)


	22. Chapter 22: Lea

Chapter 22: Lea (Again. Get used to it.)

They have a morning bell at The Academy, kind of like a school wide alarm clock. If anything, the sound is louder and more explosive than the regular bell.

It wakes me up at 7:00.

Raun, in the bed across from me, immediately jumps up. She unzips the suitcase by her bed and is already pulling on a black hoody and dark blue skinny jeans by the time I'm sitting up groggily.

"Up and at 'em," She says cheerily, rapping my head with her knuckle, "Breakfast starts in a few minutes, and classes begin after that."

I yawn, "I doubt I'll be going to classes," It takes a moment for me to register what my own mouth said. Then I realize how big of a mistake I just made. I cover my distress by rummaging through my duffle in search of clothes.

"Why's that? You're here as a student, aren't you?" Raun laces up her military-style boots.

I pull on my clothes, thinking fast, "I meant not right away. I don't have my schedule yet and they probably want to talk to me."

Raun replies without a flicker of suspicion, or maybe she's just a very good actor, "You might be right. We still need breakfast." She sneezes.

"Bless you," I say automatically.

"Thanks."

Raun starts loading up a navy blue backpack with various school supplies.

I grab my toiletries and duck into the adjoining bathroom.

We'd been lucky enough to get a suite, Raun had explained, so we had a personal bathroom. No shower though, we still had to go down the hall for that.

I'm just finishing brushing my hair and thinking that I'm really not a breakfast person when I hear a knock from the other room.

"Hello," Says Raun, not addressing me.

There's a muttered reply I can't make out.

"Yup, she's here," Raun continues, then immediately lets out an explosive sneeze.

"Bless you!" I call out automatically.

"Thanks!"

I step out of the bathroom. James, of course, is standing in the doorway.

"Lea," He says, leaning around Raun, "I'm taking you to the office. They need to get you your schedule and supplies."

"Be right there," I casually stuff my thing away.

He nods and turns away.

Theses crazy bastards aren't even going to let me eat breakfast, are they? Maybe it's better I don't have anything… I don't know what's going to happen when I get wherever we're going.

"See you later, Raun," I wave over my shoulder at her.

"I want you home by midnight," She jokes.

I flash a quick grin at her, following James down the hall.

He leads me out of the dorm, across the spacious courtyard and into a large white building. It's obviously been designed to resemble an Anciest Greek Temple.

James opens the door and leads me into what appears to be a reception room. He ignores the well-dressed secretary, pushing through a side door. We moves down a well-lit hallway.

Dark-blue carpet silences our footsteps, and the bright florescent lights overhead are almost painful to look at. The place has that clean, untouched, sterile fee; like I'm walking through a private art collection, not a school building. There isn't a soul in sight.

James pauses in front of an empty stretch of wall. I've seen enough action movies to know what's going to happen next.

He reaches his hand out towards the beige surface.

Sure enough, a panel slides back, revealing a keypad. James enters a seven-digit code. The door beeps and a large section of the wall pulls back, unveiling a dark metal passageway beyond.

I squint my eyes as even more florescent lights, even brighter ones, flicker on overhead. Even the glaring light can't brighten up the dark metal.

Slender is immediately alert as I shake him out of sleep. He seems to be sleeping a lot. I guess life gets more boring when you can actually understand it. He realizes what's going on almost instantly. He doesn't panic, but I sense him growing tense.

Just knowing he's watching out for me is somehow comforting. I know what I said the other day about weaknesses was true, but it would take quite a lot to stop Slender if he was angry. Really and truly angry. I just have to hope if it comes to that he manages to keep his head.

I take a deep breath, fully aware I could be about to step into a horrible trap. One I, and Slender, might not come out of.

I follow James down the hallway. His footsteps are loud on the metal. Mine echo too, but I make a conscious effort to silence them.

This is the moment of truth. This could all be some colossal joke. I could be laughed at, ridiculed for actually believing this. I cringe at the thought, though a tiny part of me wonders who would take a joke this far. I know there are plenty of insane people in the world, you never know.

Just let them try to pull a joke on me. I'll show them just how much of a joke this is.

James continues down the hall. I can see a huge room ahead of us. It must be gigantic, larger that a football field.

I feel the danger shivering in the air all around me. Something isn't right here.

I step into the open. My eyes widen in shock. The space stretches 20o feet underground and climbs about 50 feet above my head.

Roughly round in shape, the space holds an enormous cylindrical structure that stretches downwards as far as I can see. Doorways dot its surface, leading to an uncountable number of rooms. It's at least 20 stories tall. Larger than most organizations, larger than most buildings. A long, spiraling pathway runs around it. Steps, all the way up and down; they must have healthy employees here.

I swallow.

This is no joke. This is deadly serious. If I get caught in here, nothing short of a miracle is getting me out again.

So I can't get caught.

I spot The Inspector at the beginning of the spiral staircase.

He nods at me as we draw near, "Lea,"

"Inspectory,"

He sweeps his arm around at the set-up, "What do you think?"

"Impressive," I reply honestly, "very cloak and dagger."

"It's a rather unique situation,"

"Admittedly,"

The Inspector switched his attention to James, "Thank you, James. Go back to the lab now."

James nods, stepping onto the spiral stairs. He descends at a rapid pace. Impressive, since the steps seem a little narrow.

The Inspector stuffs his hands into his pockets.

I look at him sideways, "I'd like to see this lab."

He shakes his head, "Not yet. Later, maybe, but you need to go through training first."

I narrow my eyes. I don't like the sound of this. If this "training" somehow blows my cover…

I'll have to trust that Slender can get me out of here alive, if that happens.

I follow The Inspector down the stairs.

AN: Well, this should have cleared a couple things up, at least for Lea. But I know you're all starting to get anxious about Raun, and what her role is, and just who she is exactly. I'm sorry to say you have a while to wait for those explanations. X3 I'm so evil. :D


	23. Chapter 23: Lea

Chapter 23: Lea

"Training?" I ask.

The Inspector nods, "It's standard procedure to give every new agent a week's training, to prepare them. Basics take about five days alone."

"So I'm stuck down here for a week?"

"No," He glances back at me, "you already know most of the basics. How to inspect and analyze, think your way into or out of situations, keep your mouth shut when you need to. You wouldn't believe how long it takes people to learn that kind of stuff. But no, for you, we're going right to the real training."

Oh brilliant, that doesn't sound dangerous.

The Inspector steps off the staircase and onto a platform which runs around the center structure.

I somehow mistime the step, stumbling a little. I feel myself flush, but if he notices the mistake, he's courteous enough to ignore it.

So is Slender.

The Inspector leads me towards one of the doors. It's labeled with a small plaque reading "Training Room 1".

The door opens smoothly, weighted to seem almost nonexistent. The Inspector steps through it.

"Hey, Almes!" I hear a cheery voice call, "What brings you here?"

"Almes? Wasn't that the name on my letter?" I ask as I step into the room.

Two people are sitting in front of a bank of important looking buttons and dials.

A pale-faced man, with red hair, a sallow face, and cheerful grin sits next to a dark-skinned woman, her hair pulled back in a headband.

The Inspector sighs, "Almes is my last name. My brother runs The Academy, so the name shows up on all the records for the school."

"Got that right," The man kicks up his feet, "and he never lets us forget it."

"Ain't that the truth," The woman grins.

I'm beginning to like these two. I can see they knock sparks off The Inspector all the time. Anyone who can get under his skin is fine by me.

But there's something about the way they move. They seem coiled, like springs. I know if I tried anything, they wouldn't hesitate to kill me. Strange, how you just sense these things.

"Who's the girl, Almes?" The man asks.

"I'm Lea," I say, stepping forward.

"I'm Dylan, and this is Ana,"

Ana smiles at me.

"Where did The Inspector drag you out of?" Dylan asks.

I glance at The Inspector, making sure I can tell them. He shrugs and nods, meaning I can if I want to.

"I…uh… had a little run-in…" I start hesitantly.

"With Slenderman," The Inspector finishes for me.

Ana whistles, "That's some monster, kid, you're lucky to be alive."

"Don't I know it," I force a smile. "Now, sorry to cut this short, but; training?"

Dylan smirks at me, "A little formal, not all of us are like Almes here, you know."

The Inspector rubs his temples, muttering something.

"Aw, come on," I wheedle, "I was gonna finish this up quick and take a look at that lab I heard was downstairs."

Ana claps her hands, "I like her already, Almes. You might have a real prodigy here."

I grin modestly, thinking that she's exaggerating and that if I am a prodigy; I'm certainly not theirs.

Slender catches the thought and sends me a glow of approval. It cheers me up.

The Inspector sighs, "You know what to do. If you need me, I'll be in the lab. Call me when you finish."

Dylan salutes mockingly, "Yes sir!"

The Inspector leaves, muttering under his breath.

As soon as the door closes, Dylan and Ana burst out laughing.

I wait patiently for them to fall silent.

Finally, gasping for breath and still chuckling, they turn their attention to me.

I wait quietly for one of them to speak.

"Come on, girl," Ana says brightly, "we aren't all stick-in-the-muds like Almes there, lighten up!"

I raise my eyebrows, feeling myself tense up, "Well that's just great then. I guess I'll just ignore the fact that you and everyone else I meet in this place looks ready to separate my head from my shoulders, shall I?"

Ana laughs, "Smart one, here. It comes with the job, kiddo."

"Did you really see Slenderman?" Dylan asks out of nowhere.

"Not really…" I hesitate a moment, thinking. It's best to stick to the convenient story, "I never saw him, I passed out."

"But he was there, nearby?"

"That's what they told me," I say.

"They scanned you?"

I nod, "350."

Dylan whistles, "Jees, kid, how'd you even get that close?"

I look down, "I was… kind of being assaulted. He apparently killed my attacker."

Ana pales and clenches her fists. She growls then whimpers. Dylan glances at her. He pats her arm reassuringly.

You don't have to be too smart to figure that little drama out.

Ana looks up after a moment, there's dark fire in her eyes, "Did he really kill your attacker?" She asks urgently.

I nod, "Many times over from what I hear."

"Good," she relaxes a little.

I like this woman. She has a kind side, I can tell.

Dylan wrinkles his brow, "Isn't Slenderman just a mindless killer? Why would he only kill your assailant and not you?"

Slender and I bristle in unison, I contain my sudden indignation with some difficulty. "I don't think he's mindless, and I don't know why."

Dylan shrugs, "He's still a murderous demon with no soul to me," I flinch, "I've heard enough stories about him to last a lifetime." Dylan finishes.

For a moment, I feel a white-hot fire flame within me. For just one moment, I want to kill him. Then I regain control and take a deep breath. Don't say anything, I tell myself. What Dylan says is true to some extent, though I hate to admit it. Slender really was mindless before. He just obeyed instincts. But he's different now. I just need to calm down.

"Can we get to the training, please?" I ask again.

Dylan raises his eyebrows, "Sure. Just follow me."

"One more question," Ana interrupts, "why did you come to this place, Lea?"

"Because I'm curious," I grin dangerously.

"Well, little miss curious," Dylan says with forced cheer, I can tell I've set him on edge, "Let's get you trained and tested."

"Thanks," I follow him to a small door in the wall.

"Don't be so brash," Slender cautions me, "you'll get yourself hurt."

I send the feeling of bubbling anger and indignation.

He agrees silently.

What Slender means is "You can kill Dylan if you want to."

Good.

Because I suddenly have the urge to slip a knife between his ribs.

?

The knocking on the door makes the woman jump.

She peaks through the peephole to see three men on the doorstep, all dressed in slacks and understated dress-shirts.

She slowly unlocks the door.

"Hello," Says the lead man. His voice sounds hollow, empty, "We're here responding to a call-"

"Oh thank god!" the woman cuts him off, bursting into tears, "You have to help me, please."

"Don't worry Ma'am, we can help. Just let us do our work."

"Can you really stop-" She gags violently, vomiting into the trash-bin she's holding.

"Yes, we can." The man looks at his two companions, "You two get going. Give her a pill to keep her food down. Set up the equipment."

The other two men bustle off to their van.

"Pardon me," The lead man says to the woman, "but is it okay if we stay here for a few days, until it shows up again?"

Normally, the woman would have said no. Normally, she wouldn't have opened the door to these three. Normally, she wouldn't have made the call.

"Absolutely," She replies, "anything to make it stop."

AN: This chapter might have confused you, or it might not, depending on how much you know about various subjects. Of course, there's more to come. I'm sorry the main part of this chapter was basically about nothing, the next one will be better.

I promise.

More to come soon!


	24. Chapter 24: Lea

AN: Guys; action starts approx. chapter 30. If you want to skip the intervening chapters, you may do so, but don't skip this chapter. This chapter is important.

Chapter 24: Lea (next one is Slender)

Dylan opens the door, leading me into a small unfurnished room. Well, unfurnished except for the reclining seat in the center of it. The chair is surrounded by a complex network of cables and I can hear the power humming through them. It's perfectly molded to fit a person, and once they're in it, a curved screen can be lowered over their face. A strange sensor pulses right where their head would sit.

I take one look at the device and feel nervous anticipation bubble up inside me. Is this what I think it is?

Dylan pats the armrest, "Climb in."

I stop walking, "I would have to be insane to get into that thing without knowing what it is."

"It's an MUD, Memory Uploading Device. We strap you in, insert a memory into your subconscious, and you come out knowing how to perform college-level math."

I nod, it was what I thought; I've seen The Matrix. "This doesn't work two ways, does it?"

He frowns, "What do you mean?"

"If I get into that thing, will you be flying around inside my head?"

Dylan smiles knowingly, "Even we have to obey parts of the constitution, we aren't allowed to go 'flying around your head.'"

"Glad to hear it," I don't really believe it.

If I get into that machine, I might have some serious problems. The Organization could take a peek inside my head, find out I'm a Proxy, and throw me into a cell. The Device might even malfunction, which is very likely, especially since I have Slender inside my head. If I don't get in, I'll alert The Organization to a possible spy. No question of that. I have to get in, agree to whatever procedure they want me to do.

"Hey, Slender," I say in my head, walking slowly towards the chair.

"Yes?" Comes the silent reply.

"If you sense anyone in my head that shouldn't be there, short out this contraption."

"…Okay," He agrees.

I sink into the padded seat, leaning my head against the strange sensor, "So how does this work?" I say out loud.

Dylan accesses a control panel next to the chair, "We upload memories straight into your subconscious. Every kind of knowledge has an area in the brain where it's stored, and we simply add knowledge to the archives that are already there. If you want to know how to speak Chinese or calculate the mass of the sun, or basically anything else, we install the knowledge. The basic package for agents is basic weapon and combat training, field medicine, and a nice review course of high school academics."

"Awesome, give me the deluxe package." I say, fully aware of how revolutionary this kind of technology is.

Dylan nods, "Everything academic through college, a good medical back round, plus advanced weapons and martial arts… you sure you can handle that?"

"Absolutely," It's a risky bet, but I figure I might as well get as much as I can out of this situation. And all of that knowledge is too much to resist, I've always been too curious for my own good.

"You won't be able to access most of the knowledge right away, since it gets filed away deep in your mind, but when you need it you'll be able to use it."

I nod.

"Unfortunately, you'll have to learn about The Organization and what we do the old fashioned way. We can't upload information you have no place to store."

I nod again, "I understand."

"Good," He straps the screen over my face.

"One other thing," I interrupt.

"Yes?"

"Keep me conscious." I'm taking a guess it's standard procedure to knock the subject out for this, but I want to be alert when I'm done.

Dylan frowns, but nods slowly, "If that's what you want.

I nod again.

He sighs and leaves the room.

I can only wait as power hums through the cables and wires, making the whole machine vibrate. I can see the ceiling through the transparent screen, and hear my own heartbeat in my chest.

And, very far away, I hear a terrified scream and see blood splattering walls as Slender deal a deathblow.

Then I can't see anything, and I feel my whole body spasm as a huge wave of information drills into my skull.

I squeeze my eyes shut against the pain, but they immediately fly open, taking in the numbers and letters dancing on the screen before them.

The information files itself away slowly, painfully, making it feel like my brain is about to explode from sheer overload.

Complex theories and equations run through my head, and I feel essays and words press against my skull. No foreign languages, thank goodness. I think I would have passed out if they tried to add another one besides English.

The martial arts hovers for a while, making me experience again and again how to take down an opponent. Weapon's training, firing a gun over and over into a target, into clay pigeons. Knives, slash stab, daggers, swords. Long, oversized needles.

Medicines next. Then poisons, and I can tell that this is an afterthought, not part of the regular deal. I thank them silently for it, as I know I'll use this knowledge later.

For one moment, I feel as though I understand everything. All the information slides into place, fitting neatly like puzzle pieces.

I breathe easier, no longer aware of the new knowledge. I don't feel any different. Slender is still there, his presence like a beacon in a dark place.

I blink, refocusing my eyes. The gray metal ceiling meets my gaze.

"What's going on?" Slender asks.

I reach up, rubbing my temples carefully, avoiding the screen over my face, "I'm… I feel…" I blink hard, "woozy."

Dylan is leaning over me suddenly, a big smile on his face, "Hello, princess, back from dreamland?"

"Almost," I force myself into full awareness, "wow."

"That's the usual response," He raises the screen and I sit up, still shaking my head. I feel stiff.

"Gotta hand it to you," Dylan continues, "You didn't se much as whimper. We get people who go in there conscious and scream bloody-murder the whole time."

"How long was I in there?" I change the subject.

"Good eight hours."

I roll my neck, feeling the tightness in my muscles that proves the statement, "Feels like ten minutes."

He nods, "You might experience headaches, loss of coordination, nausea, and some other minor effects for a few hours."

I grimace, "Headache; check."

He winces sympathetically, "Almes is on his way up. He'll take you back to the dorms. You can sleep until tomorrow."

"Glad to hear it."

The door clicks open and The Inspector enters the room. He looks at me and smiles, "Good you're awake."

I'm a little taken aback. Did Almes-the-stickler just smile at me? Pinch me: I must be dreaming.

"Come on," He offers his hand.

I narrow my eyes, ignoring the offered support. I hop off the chair, landing firmly on two feet.

I walk out the door, "Hurry up, I want to sleep."

AN: I figured the lengthy traditional training wouldn't be a good idea. This way was faster and easier. Clear up anything? Nope. More confusion? Yes.

In suspense yet? I think so.


	25. Chapter 25: Slender

Chapter 25: Slender (And now about half of you are fist pumping)

Lea is using an immense amount of willpower just to stay upright. The fact that she manages to walk without falling over is testament to her mental strength.

I don't say anything, knowing full-well if I make any comment, her concentration will break and send her staggering into a wall. Or worse: over the guardrail.

Instead, I turn to stare at my victims. They scurry through life, jumping at shadows, trying to hold it together.

A woman swoons in the grocery store, fainting in the middle of the cereal aisle. A high school student pinches his nose closed, trying to stem the flow of blood. A round man throws up, retching into a toilet.

Now that I think on it, I've seen these same effects over and over again throughout the years. They seem to get progressively worse over time. Maybe, somehow, I'm to blame?

I know I must be responsible, that my presence causes these things to happen. Those who encounter me develop them; it's the only explanation.

I freeze for a moment.

Then why doesn't Lea have them?

She's been in closer proximity to me than anyone else, so why isn't she sick? It makes no sense. She is human; she should react like a human. And yet she isn't bleeding, throwing up, having hallucinations, fainting, or having any of the other symptoms I've observed over the years.

No, she's different. Not just because she isn't throwing up.

She's one of a kind. I feel a glow of pride that she's my Proxy.

Still, I can't shake the feeling something isn't right. I'm just going to mention it to Lea, who's back in her dorm, when I notice something.

The thing immediately grabs all my attention, and I decide this is more important than an uncertain feeling.

I can see something, or rather, I can't see something. One of my victims, her light, it's… flickering. Parts of it go out, then come to life again, what is this?

I look closer, but I can't seem to make out anything. I'll have to investigate, right now.

Then Lea throws up.

Now what? I want to make sure she's okay, but I can't be in two places at once, and I need to see what the heck this thing is.

Wait… Lea's throwing up. What if she's developing the same condition as the others?

I shake at the uneasy thought, trying to discard it, but it won't budge.

It's because she had the memory transfer. That man, Dylan, said she would have side-effects.

I attempt to shove the thought away again, but it remains.

I need to talk to Lea. Right now.

Maybe we can get this whole "Proxy" business straightened out as well. If a Proxy is what it's supposed to be, then Lea gets to run around and kill people I don't have the time for.

Which might work well, there being a multitude of people I desire to deal with, but never have time to.

She could also deal with those who manage to slip away from me.

They do appear every now and them.

That would be beneficial; I'll ask her.

"Hey, Lea,"

No reply.

"Lea?"

Nothing.

"LEA!"

It's no good. Something's blocking the communication. This is bad. How am I supposed to help when I can't talk to her. I can't rightly speak with my mouth after all. I'm stuck.

I can't do anything until this thing comes down.

I'm starting to get frustrated. I can't believe this. What's going on?! Is this part of the memory transfer too? Will it go away?

I hope so.

I wince as a bright light flares to life. It's one of the brightest I've seen, and it's painful beyond belief.

As if I didn't have enough to worry about already. I need to deal with this.

I'll have to talk to Lea later. That strange anomaly will have to wait too. I need to put this light out if I want to think straight.

I flicker out of existence.

AN: I usually don't update every day, but these next few chapters are pretty short, so I'm going to. One every day for the next three days or so. After that, school starts for me again, so I don't know how often I'll be able to update. Hopefully every few days, but it might drop to once a week. Sorry guys. I'll see you tomorrow!


	26. Chapter 26: Lea

AN: OMG! I uploaded the smae chapter twice! I'm SO Sorry! There, I fixed it!

Chapter 26: Lea

I push the door to my dorm room, closing it behind me as I step through it.

The past few minutes have possibly been the most trying of my life. It took all of my concentration just to make it back here.

I've never had a taste of alcohol in my life, but I imagine this is what having a hangover must be like.

I feel like crap.

What would cause something like this anyway? That machine gave me memories, sure, but would it really have this effect on me?

After a moment's thought, I decide it might.

That kind of technology isn't supposed to exist; who knows what it might do. And Dylan did warn me about the side effects. He doesn't strike me as the kind of guy who would lie about something like this.

Even if he does think Slender is a soulless demon. I'm going to kill him, I promise myself, but not now. Later.

I sink to the floor, clutching my aching head. I feel sick, and I'm suddenly glad I haven't eaten today.

I feel myself gag. I stagger upright, rushing to the bathroom. I vomit what little my stomach contains into the toilet.

With a grimace, I flush the mess away and sit on the ground, holding my stomach.

I curl into a ball and rest my head on my knees as the room spins in a kaleidoscope around me. Taking deep breaths, I close my eyes, trying to calm my heart-rate.

I feel fatigued, yet oddly hyperactive. My brain keeps running in circles, reprocessing information again and again. I want to sleep, but my brain won't stop buzzing, and my muscles won't stop twitching with the phantom memories of punches. Maybe they're eager to put my new knowledge to use.

I doubt I'll be able to use my "book knowledge" anytime soon, as college math doesn't come my way that often. That portion of the transplant can't be accessed at will anyway. It's buried too deeply in my mind. I'll have to wait for it to surface

My new fighting abilities, though, I can sense. My muscles are ready, for possibly the first time ever, to do what I ask. I can see the moves in my mind, feel the smooth flow of action. I yearn to try them out.

But I'm sick and tired. I can barely move at the moment, let alone fight.

I just want to sleep.

I distantly hear the sound of a door opening. A voice mutters something, I identify the speaker as Raun.

She throws something to the floor, probably her backpack, eliciting a loud thump, and collapses onto her bed. At least, that's what I get from the sound.

I would say something but my tongue isn't working properly and my head is still pounding. I swallow, trying to get my mouth working again.

Raun stops moving around. After a moment, I hear footsteps approaching. The bathroom door clicks open.

"Eh? Lea? Lea what's wrong?" Raun crouches next to me, placing one hand on my shoulder.

I squeeze my eyes shut, willing my headache to disappear. I cough spasmodically, my body trying to bring up food it doesn't have.

"Tell me where it hurts," Raun tries.

I shake my head helplessly.

Where the hell is Slender anyway? Shouldn't he be at least talking to me? I can't even sense him; it's like he's dropped off the map. Then again, my mind is so fuzzy, I might not be abl to sense him through it.

Raun is saying something but I can't hear it. My ears are ringing.

_"Other minor effects,"_ I sneer, "_minor;" _I wish…

Raun hauls me upright, supporting my weight. She half-carries me into the other room.

I try to help, but my footsteps are clumsy and I stumble over nothing.

Rauns helps me onto my bed.

I nod my thanks, sighing with relief.

The last thing I see before falling asleep is Raun's face, tilted a little to the side, a knowing smile on her lips.

AN: DON'T KILL ME! *Hides behind wall* I know it's a short chapter, and really boring, the next one will be posted right off tomorrow morning, and then 28 on Monday. 28 is where things get interesting.


	27. Chapter 27: Slender

Chapter 27: Slender

To be honest; I'm frustrated with myself.

It took me nearly five hours to kill that insolent man. He had been feeling my presence for a few months, and had been jumpy.

But for whatever reason, he had chosen tonight to go out, forcing me to wait hours before he finally left went to a private location and I could do him in.

Not that I hadn't enjoyed dragging him from his bed and gutting him, I had, but the screaming woman had soured the experience a little. Especially since I had been forced to kill her too as she ran for the phone.

I don't really feel any remorse for her. She did the wrong thing and she paid for it.

If she had stayed still, I might have spared her. If she had just closed her eyes, I would have left her alone. But instead she had panicked; tried to escape; tried to call the police. So I had to kill her.

And as if that weren't frustrating enough, by the time I was finished dealing with them, Lea was already asleep. I missed my chance to talk to her.

I'm not about to wake her up just to pester her. Not when she's sick, anyways.

So I'm not in the best of moods.

I try stalking some of my other victims. When that doesn't cheer me up; I know I'm in a rut.

Who knew this kind of emotion existed?

Well, judging by her memories, Lea has apparently experienced this several times.

Unfortunately, it appears that she doesn't really know what to do about it. All her memories show her pacing discontentedly, like a caged tiger.

I feel like killing something. Lots of things. I feel like appearing in the middle of a party and goring every human at it. I feel like-

My bloody stream of thought is interrupted, and my mood lightens a little. I noticed the anomaly again. Except I can see it more clearly now. I can see the light isn't going out.

There are black shadows passing in front of the light, obscuring my view. This makes more sense.

But what are those shapes? I can't tell.

I need to take a closer look at this. I need to do it now. It might take a while to observe before I can determine what's causing this.

It might take as long as a day.

Sorry, Lea, our talk will have to wait for now.

I vanish.

?

The men have been around her house for three days. In that time they hadn't done much besides sit around and run some basic surveillance.

They had, however, set up something strange the first day.

They had arranged six pieces of poster board around the living room. One on the ground, one on the ceiling, and four around the walls. Each piece was inscribed with a strange symbol. A circle with an X drawn through it.

For some reason, just seeing that design made the woman shiver.

But she couldn't complain. They had given her some pills, and she felt better than she had in years. No nausea, no light-headedness, it was amazing.

They had taken the pills to, almost like they were addicted to them. But they couldn't be. They must take them for another reason. Maybe they were sick too.

The men kept saying they would stop it, the thing that was chasing her. They said they would make it leave her alone. And she believed them. Even when the TV started getting static, she believed them. Even when they pulled out strange white masks and put them on, she believed them.

Because she was desperate enough to believe anything.

AN: Those of you who've done your research should know what's going on. Those of you who haven't are probably VERY confused. And you'll stay that way for a little while longer.

Another chapter tomorrow! I'll see you then!


	28. Chapter 28: Lea

Chapter 28: Lea

I wake up hungry.

I NEVER wake up hungry, but it's exactly what I did.

I could eat a whole continental breakfast bar right now.

Why am I so hungry? That's right; I didn't have anything to eat yesterday and then I threw up. My body must be completely deprived of resources.

I sit up, blinking in the morning light which streams through a gap in the curtains.

Raun rolls over in her bed, "Morning, feeling better?"

"Ya," I rub my head, "Much better."

She yawns, "Glad to hear it. You scared the crap out of me."

I kick off my covers and hop out of bed. Surprisingly, I feel fine. Better than fine. I throw two quick punches then a kick at the air, relishing the feeling of motion.

Raun raises an eyebrow, "Oh? What's this?"

"Sorry," I smile, "I don't know what came over me."

"Whatever," She rolls over.

I start pulling on clothes, getting ready.

The morning bell rings just as I emerge from the bathroom.

Raun is up, dressed in dark hues. She pushes past me to brush her teeth. I note the concerned glance she throws me and return it with a reassuring smile.

There's a knock at the door, which doesn't surprise me. I open it and, as expected, James is on the other side.

I glance towards the bathroom door. It's closed and I can hear Raun humming softly to herself.

I look back towards James, speaking quietly and quickly, "I know why you're here. Tell them I'm fine; I'm feeling better, and I'll be there after breakfast." I close the door.

I can just imagine the look on his face; almost like a fish.

Raun emerges from the bathroom.

"Is it time to eat yet?" I ask.

She glances at the her watch, "Just about."

"Great, I'm starving."

Cafeteria food isn't that good as a general rule, but The Academy's was genuinely good. Either that; or I'm just hungry enough to eat anything.

Whatever the case; I gulp down my food pretty fast, being careful not to overeat. Raun doesn't try to make conversation.

Surprisingly, neither does Slender.

He hasn't spoken to me since yesterday; right after the memory transfer. I know there was something weird blocking the communication in that time; I don't know what it was. It would have been nice to know he was around last night when I was sick, though. It's worrying he hasn't said anything about it since then.

"What's wrong?" Raun asks suddenly.

"Huh?"

"I can see something's bothering you."

"It's nothing," I get up from the table, "I've got to go. See you back at the dorm later."

Raun picks distastefully at a pancake, "Okay."

I feel her eyes on me as I leave the cafeteria.

I ignore David's voice calling after me, leave the building, walk across the spacious courtyard, and enter the white building.

James is seated in one of the waiting room chairs. He gets up as I enter, setting aside a novel. "You be happy The Inspector likes you, or you would be in trouble for skipping out like that."

I shrug, "I didn't eat at all yesterday; give me a break."

He nods, "You're right. Come on, let's see what you're made of."

He walks down the hallway, keys in his access code, and steps into the tunnel. Down, down, down the staircase. I start counting the steps. 300…301…302…

At 350, he steps off the stairs. I follow.

The room James stops in front of is labeled, "Weapons Locker 5." As I step inside, I see racks of weapons, all shapes and sizes. Everything capable of ending a life from Pocket Knives to semi-automatic rifles. Targets and dummies are arranged in the space not filled by shelves. This is gonna be fun.

"Take anything you want," James gestures at the racks.

I step forward, eyeing the weapons. I toy with the idea of a gun, then discard the notion. Guns are powerful. Guns are the best form of weaponry. I'm not fond of them. They're far too noticeable, and hiding them is difficult. Shooting them isn't exactly my strong suit either, so best to give it a miss.

I examine the knives. A beautiful stiletto catches my eye, along with a small dagger, a set of throwing knives, and what appears to be a thick wristband.

I pick up the stiletto, feeling the cold metal handle settle naturally into my palm. I like this knife. I slash the air. Nice balance; she's a keeper.

The three-inch dagger is made of a strange metal. It's painted with ribbons of silvery lines, running circles along the blade. I take it too.

The throwing knives I don't inspect, simply taking them off the shelf in their long sheath.

The wristband intrigues me. I set aside the other weapons and slip it onto my right wrist. I ball my hand into a fist and flex it backwards. A blade roughly five inches in length shnicks out of the metal.

I smile, no one wants to be on the receiving end of that punch.

"I'm set," I say.

"Good," James replies, "I'll get you a couple sheaths for the stiletto and dagger." He turns away.

I walk up to one of the dummies, holding the stiletto in my left hand. I slash its stomach, leaving a deep rent in the rubber. Next, I punch the mannequin, flexing my fist backwards at the last second. The hidden blade strikes what would have been a fatal blow, if my target was alive.

Perfect.

James clears his throat behind me. I turn around, and he hands me two sheaths along with a belt to hang them on.

I fit the belt two my waist and slide the two blades into place. The throwing knives I sling across my shoulder. The hidden blade remains on my wrist.

I nod approvingly.

"Interesting choices," James comments.

I shrug, "I'm not fond of guns, and swords are too noticeable."

"Oh, one other thing," He pulls a small black backpack from a cabinet, "a bag for extra equipment. Medical kit included; since you have the training for it."

I nod again, checking the contents of the bag. A white medical case is the only thing it contains.

"Cool, I'm all set. What now?"

"Now," Says The Inspector from the doorway, "You come along for your first assignment."

AN: Yay! Chapter 28! And over 4,000 views! That's quite a few, for a pretty obscure subject like this. Doubtless you're all confused right now. Very, very confused. You'll have to stay that way for a few more chapters, unfortunately. After that: you'll have different things to be confused about. Also, from this point on there are going to be a few different monsters introduced. If you wish to know more about these creatures; simply Google them. Unfortunately, I start school in a couple days, so updates will be less frequent. I hope to keep writing this though, even if I don't get the time too type stuff up.

See you all in the next chapter!


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